Mr. Naim Ouaini went on an academic visit to Lyon on October 27 and 28, 2008 within the framework of the cooperation and partnership agreement between the Faculty of Sciences and Computer Engineering and the Université Claude Bernard-Lyon 1 (UCBL). Mr. Ouaini met with several university officials, such as Mrs. Hélène Parrot, head of the Chemistry and Biochemistry UFR, and Mr. Yves Monteil, who is in charge of the Lebanon file at UCBL. The two men discussed, among other things, research projects and themes, in addition to financing and co-directorship of current theses (four are currently underway for the year 2008-2009). The dean also met with Mr. Jacques José and Mr. Elham Mokbel, members of the French steering committee for two theses, which are being currently co-directed and which benefit from the laboratory’s financial support. They tackled the progress of work, joint articles and papers, as well as participation in the 4th International Conference on Energy Research and Development, from November 16 to November 20, 2008 in Kuwait and during which three joint papers were short-listed. 

Following these meetings in France, Mr. Ouaini went to the Catholic University of Leuven (Université Catholique de Louvain) in Belgium where he met from October 28 to October 30, 2008 with Mr. Claude Remacle, dean of the Faculty of Sciences, and Mrs. Marie-Paule Mingeot, chair of the Faculty of Pharmacy at UCL. Mr. Ouaini also had a business meeting with Mr. Francis Delannay, dean of the Ecole Polytechnique at UCL, and Mr. Charles Bielders, academic secretary of the Faculty of Bioengineering and Agricultural Sciences. This meeting tackled the potential signature of a codicil to the cooperation outline agreement signed between UCL and the Faculty of Sciences and Computer Engineering, since many curricula and research themes are similar.