London: Jordanian participants in the 2026 Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) program completed the final two-week phase of their training in London under a program run by the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering in cooperation with the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST).
According to Jordan News Agency, Jordan participated in the program for the sixth consecutive year under its partnership agreement with the Royal Academy of Engineering. The council secured six places for Jordan among this year's participating countries, which also included Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, and India.
The council stated that the training focused on strengthening participants' technical, managerial, financial, and marketing skills, preparing investor presentations, identifying investment opportunities for their projects, and connecting them with specialists, researchers, and industry experts to help commercialize their research and establish startup companies.
Participants also visited innovation, research and development centers at the Universities of Birmingham, Imperial College London, and Liverpool. During these visits, they met entrepreneurship experts to gain insights into commercializing research outcomes and transforming them into marketable products and services.
The council continues to strengthen links between industry and academia by supporting joint research projects between universities, scientific centers, and the industrial sector. This collaboration aims to improve product quality, develop new products, enhance production efficiency, and advance local technologies, thereby boosting the competitiveness of Jordan's industrial sector.
The HCST Secretary-General Mashhour Rifai emphasized the council's commitment to supporting participants in transforming their ideas into marketable products that contribute to the national economy. He also highlighted the council's strategy to prepare technology entrepreneurs and facilitate their integration into the labor market and entrepreneurial system.
The Jordanian delegation included academics from the University of Jordan, Al-Balqa Applied University, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Tafila Technical University, Zarqa University, and Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, along with a representative from the Higher Council for Science and Technology.