Berytech
Berytech serves Lebanon in general and Beirut and Mount Lebanon in particular, the economic hub of the country. Berytech manages 2 physical sites, each located within proximity of the Campuses of USJ (Science & technology Campus and Medical Sciences Campus). This proximity will allow SMEs to tap into a wealth of R&D and human resources and near-by technological platforms, expertise and labs.
Berytech is a consortium of private/NGO stakeholders, which represent a wide spectrum of key local economic players:
- IT,
- Mobile Operator - Biomedical,
- Insurance, University,
- Banks and Industry.
Berytech is a national reference for SME support institution providing the appropriate environment for the creation and development of enterprises.
It has a directory of more than 70 hosted and assisted entities (between project holders, start-ups and enterprises), the creation of more than 40 start-ups in IT, multimedia, tourism and services, more than 250 jobs, and the development of two poles of expertise in Image and ICT. These two clusters involve companies that work in synergy and complementarities of competencies and bring value-added to the Lebanese economy.
Two sites are managed by Berytech:
Suburb of Beirut:
- Total Build up area: 8,000 m2
- Total offices space: 3,000 m2
- Total common area : 5,000 m2
- Videoconference auditorium (40 seats)
- Training Center (28 seats)
- 2 Conference rooms (16 seats)
- Common areas: cafeteria/restaurant/library, business center, administration, exhibition hall
Beirut near down-town:
- Total Build up area: 4,000 m2
- Total offices space: 2,500 m2
- Videoconference facility
- Training Center
- 3 Conference rooms
- Common areas: cafeteria/restaurant, business center, administration
Other existing measures to support and promote SMEs are listed in the table below:
Challenges for SMEs | Solutions |
Access to foreign markets | Qualeb program Export Plus for agriculture (IDAL) |
Need for innovative, high tech SMEs | E-Comleb for e-business |
Complex administrative regulations | One-stop-shop (IDAL) |
Accessing credit | Microfinance (ESFD) Enhancing Kafalat |
Minimal state support (especially supporting innovations) | IDAL's 360 Law for new investments in new technology |
Business support services / enterprise culture | Berytech Technological Pole (USJ) ELCIM 1 & 2 Business Support Centers project |
Venture Capital | Building Block, Berytech Fund |
Business development centre Bekaa | Agripole | |
| ||
Business development centre Tripoli (North) | BIAT | |
Business development centre Saida (South) | SouthBIC |
MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES
Property-related services
Accomodation:
- Provide ready to use, furnished and computer equipped 'hot-desks' in a stimulating and conducive environment favorable to the development of expertise.
- Provide offices "à la carte": variable office space areas provide enterprises with the possibility of extending or reducing the occupied surfaces and allow therefore their cost adaptation.
- Ensure postal address and e-mail to facilitate the information exchange and an unlimited access to Internet.
Access:
- Access 24/7 with electronic badges.
- Security guard and surveillance cameras
- External/internal parking lots.
Network infrastructure:
- Telecommunications: phone, fax
- Broadband secure networking (firewall)
- Video-conferencing (ISDN)
- Hosting first website.
Meetings:
- Meeting rooms that accommodate 4 to 10 persons (with Wireless Internet access)
- Conference room of 80 to 800 places (nearby University)
- Videoconference room
- Restaurant, a relaxation space, and a reception hall.
- Media and display zone.
Promotion:
- Post the list of tenants outside the BDC.
- Companies' sign board in the reception hall or outside.
- Publish an updated directory of the enterprises with their main information and contacts (or website)
- Promotional material highlighting the enterprises and their success stories
Animation:
- Organize exhibitions, conferences, symposiums, technological "tea parties", breakfast, competitions, etc.
- Organize meetings within the BDC that allow the entrepreneurs to share their activities and difficulties.
- Network and linkages research-industry.
Maintenance/ Janitorial:
- Maintenance/Janitorial of common spaces.
- Maintenance/Janitorial of private spaces.
Administrative services
Welcome and mail service:
- Welcoming visitors.
- Personalized message taking by a trilingual receptionist.
- Receive and send courier
Business Center services:
- Photocopy
- Binding documents
- Fax
Editorial service:
- Letters
- Envelops or labels
- Document pages
Information:
- Make available contacts of other partners BDCs.
- Access to scientific and technical documentation and to international data banks.
- Access to information concerning the local and regional market, commercial practices in the activity sector of the enterprise
Translation:
- Non technical document pages.
- Technical document pages.
Business Counselling services
Follow-up of the incubatee:
- Accompany by mentor.
- Follow up on management of services and budget.
- Audit the evolution of the project and the incubatee performances.
Management support:
- Analyze the projects' strengths and weaknesses.
- Help in the defining objectives, strategic positioning and marketing.
- Help in the elaboration of key performance indicators and corporate diagnosis.
- Help in setting accounting and management tools.
- Help in developing the business plan and assist in the achievement of the business plan.
- Advice concerning the development of the company.
- Establish contacts with authorities, professional chambers, associations and high education establishments.
- Seek industrial, financial, scientific or technical partners.
- Choose promotion and advertising tools.
- Help choose the logo
- Provide advice in external communication.
- Help the enterprise activity once outside the Business Development Center.
- Ensure technology transfer through linking small and medium enterprises to centers for technological resources.
- Support the integration of projects in the socio-economic environment.
- Search for international partnerships
Legal and fiscal:
- Choose the enterprise legal form and the company name.
- Assist the constitution of the company.
- Study and advise the company regarding the fiscal environment.
- Patent application and filing
- Rules and norms.
- Provide advice concerning the intellectual and industrial property.
Finance:
- Assistance in the development of the business plan
- Audit the business plan and the activities of the incubatee
- Set a program for financial aid
- Help searching for capital and the legal validations.
- Assist in the choice of sponsors.
- Seek both public and private financial support.
Human resources:
- Define needs, position requirements and job description
- Recruit
- Filter
Advanced Business Support services
Technology and Innovation:
- Specialized software training
- Access to research institutes and universities
- Specialized technical assistance (in Technology and Health)
- New product development
Training:
- Identify training needs and implementation of individual training plans (company specific)
- Train entrepreneurs and their staff.
- Entrepreneurship Development Training ("Start your Business" workshop for Potential entrepreneurs)
- "Improve your business" workshops (for existing SMEs)
- Sector-focused training (sector specific).
LINKS TO MOST IMPORTANT WEBSITES
Industrial Research Institute:
www.iri.org.lb
Kafalat loan guarantee scheme:
www.kafalat.com.lb
Investment Development Authority of Lebanon:
www.idal.com.lb
EuroLebanese Center for Industrial Modernization:
www.elcim-lb.org
Lebanon Business Network:
www.lbn.com.lb
Association of Lebanese Industrialists:
www.ali.org.lb
Professional Computer Association:
www.pca.org.lb
Young Entrepreneurs Program:
www.baderlebanon.com
Chamber of Commerce & Industry Beirut & Mount Lebanon:
www.ccib.org.lb
American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce:
www.amcham.org.lb
Ministry of Economy and Trade:
www.economy.gov.lb
EcomLeb portal:
www.ecomleb.org
