The UK Lebanon Tech Hub (UKLTH) is an international initiative that supports the growth of the Lebanese knowledge economy.
Its International Research Center (IRC) has been recently given £2.5 million ($3.2 million) funding from the British Government.
UKLTH has partnered up with the American University of Beirut (AUB) to support the research on Ediamond (Electromagnetic Diabetes Monitoring Device).
Ediamond is a non-invasive blood glucose monitoring device. In fact, it uses advanced electromagnetic theory.
The difference between Ediamond and glucose meters is that Ediamond will enable diabetics to check their level of glucose without the need of pricking the skin, meaning that contact with their bloodstream will not be necessary.
Therefore, this new wearable device will ease the process of checking the level of glucose.
UKLTH will fund the research. It will also implement and supervise the project. UKLTH and AUB announced their partnership in a signing ceremony.
President Fadlo Khuri, Provost Mohamad Harajli, and Chairman of the Board Former Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui were among the attendees.
Sehanoui hopes that this device will make the lives of diabetics easier, especially those who lack diabetes management capabilities. He mentions that he is optimistic about the future of Lebanon in technology.
Moreover, Sehnaoui believes that Lebanon will become a technology hub in a few years given the creative and innovative capabilities that Lebanese people have.
Also, President Khuri highlighted the importance of the role of universities as centers of research for innovation and technology start-ups.
“One of the most efficient ways to do business is to have the initial ideas come out from academic institutions. If you look at Silicon Valley, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, most of the companies have intimate ties with great universities,” he said.
The entrepreneurial scene in Lebanon has strong foundations. According to the World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Report, Lebanon ranks 4th out of 144 countries in mathematics and science education.
In addition to that, Lebanon has the highest number of engineers per capita in the world.
