Project seeks to connect industry with academia in Jordan

AMMAN — One of the main obstacles to innovation is the absence of a space for communication between scientific research institutes, universities and the industrial sector, a university professor said on Monday.

Fahmi Abu Al Rub, the professor of chemical engineering at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), is trying to close this gap in a new project to “endorse industries with the culture of innovation and to connect industry with academia”. 

The project is organised by the Invent Project, Erasmus Plus, JUST and the Applied Scientific Research Fund; and JUST, the University of Jordan, Mutah University and the Princess Sumaya University for Technology are taking part, Abu Al Rub said. 

At a seminar on Monday to engage students with the industrial sector, researchers and innovators discussed ways to conduct meetings that achieve results in a single session.

“We hope students and innovators will exchange skills and knowledge. We have representatives of businesses in Italy, Germany, Spain, Cyprus and Greece,” Abu Al Rub told The Jordan Times.

The professor said the project has created databases for industries and sector representatives to make the process of cooperation easier for researchers and students. 

“The database will match staff’s academic interests in universities with industries available.”

He noted that there is a “gap” between universities in the country. 

“All sectors blame each other… Representatives of universities and the industrial sectors said the main reason for this gap is the lack of a proper mechanism to communicate and forge a link between industry and academia,” the professor said on the sidelines of the event. 

The organising team has planned several field trips to industrial cities and areas around the Kingdom, he added. 

“Another issue we face is that administrations, whether in universities or the industrial sector, do not recognise the importance of permanent collaboration.”

Maurizio Giambalvo of the Italian company “Next” said new methodologies for meetings were introduced at the seminar, using technology to achieve results in a shorter period of time.

He said the methodology is a “powerful way of decision making” that gives everyone “their own space”. 

A presenter shares the goal of the day, while meeting participants gather at a table with a moderator and a reporter who writes down ideas and comments discussed. The information is sent directly to team members on the podium, Giambalvo said. 

“People get feedback immediately, then, any questions can be asked for 15 minutes, and there’s a polling system so people can vote and a pie chart is produced with the results,” he explained.

“It is very... democratic, and easy to manage. This methodology was born to help communities make decisions about their towns… We developed this method as a tool to help business networks and universities,” Giambalvo added.

He said the method used helps researchers and students “focus on common issues, elaborate roadmaps and strategies and share information”. 

Nisreen Smadi, from JUST’s administration office, said the project aims to promote innovation in Jordan among university students and members of the industrial sector.

Monday’s seminar was held in groups, each of which included university professors, students, a moderator, engineers, trainers and representatives of the industrial sector.

Students at the seminar stressed the importance of similar events to prepare the younger generation to work at companies in their fields.