In this session from the September capacity-building training in Lebanon (15–20 September), Evan Fakhoury (Lebanese American University), Matej Kliman (Bohemian Center), and Nisrine Haddad (SADER & Associates) explored why many promising research ideas never make it to market.

The discussion highlighted a common challenge: while universities produce excellent research, researchers often lack the guidance, expertise, and support needed to turn ideas into market-ready innovations. The speakers emphasized that successful technology transfer depends on the entire innovation ecosystem, including universities, researchers, legal experts and TTO professionals, working together to raise awareness and bridge the gap between research and commercialization.