Call for experts – Technical assistance for clusters in the Mediterranean The Next Society – Scale-up Voucher for Cluster

Context & Background

 

About the Cluster:
QOOT is the first Agri-Food Cluster for Innovative SMEs in Lebanon. Established in 2019, QOOT regroups roughly 90 SMEs, and its mission is to support the members to grow their innovative businesses by fostering their readiness, competitiveness and internationalization.

 

About Berytech:

Berytech is a leading organization in the Entrepreneurial Eco-system in Lebanon, that aims to provide a conducive environment for the creation and development of startups, through incubation, business support, counseling, funding, networking, and company hosting.

 

About The Next Society  
Berytech is the official partner of The Next Society in Lebanon and Building on THE NEXT SOCIETY  project, Berytech, in partnership with Anima Investment Network, is launching the “Scale-up voucher for Clusters” offering a technical assistance voucher with a value of 9,000 Euros that will be used to assist regional clusters in developing their growth strategy and expanding business opportunities for their cluster members.

 

SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIREMENTS:

 

• Get detailed insights on the current situation of the members of cluster with respect to the strategic pillars of the cluster in terms of readiness, competitiveness, and internationalization levels. The upmost outcome of such data collection and analyses should support the cluster management in developing tailor-made support to the members in order to strengthen the aforementioned strategic pillars.
• Data to be collected should include technical, financial, logistical, resources, access to market and other relevant information. The outcome herein is a detailed database on the i. types, sources and quantities of raw materials ii. production/logistical bottlenecks impeding competitiveness iii. types and characteristics of end-products, marketplaces, distribution channels, etc. All the aforementioned leads to an optimized support system for the cluster members.
• Develop and validate an assessment tool, which could be a blend of quantitative and qualitative data collection
• Collect the data throughout field visits preferably or phone calls when field visits are not possible
• Analyze Data and present it in a clear and indicative manner.
• Develop a report at the end of the consultancy period with all the findings.
• All the above mentioned should be performed in communication with the management team of the cluster.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Expert trainers or the training firm will be selected based on:

• The proposal and methodology suggested and fit the objectives.
• Experts’ bio, proven track records, and experience in the field required.
• In-depth knowledge in the field of Agri-Food Businesses
• In depth knowledge in the development of quantitative/qualitative assessment tools and in statistical analyses.