SALAM is a three-year transnational initiative funded by the Interreg NEXT MED Programme aimed at improving healthcare accessibility and system resilience across the Mediterranean region. The project brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of hospitals, universities, and NGOs from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, and Jordan with Policlinico di Bari and Caritas Lebanon and Jordan as Lead Partners. This operational framework involves key university units as part of Faculties of Medicine, Health Sciences Information and Communication Technologies, Pharmacy, Engineering, within the project’s partners.
Project Partners
- Polyclinic of Bari – University Hospital Consortium Corporation Polyclinic (Lead Partner)
- Polytechnic University of Bari
- Caritas – Lebanon and Jordan (Lead Partner)
- Jordan University of Science and Technology
- University of Balamand
- University of Barcelona
Throughout its duration (December 2025 – December 2028), SALAM will focus on strengthening collaboration between key sectors within each partner country:
- The Healthcare and Academic Sector: Represented by participating hospitals and university departments involved in medical training, research, and digital health development.
- The Community Outreach Sector: Represented by national community-based NGOs that engage in outreach initiatives to vulnerable populations.
- The Research and Innovation Sector: Represented by centers equipped with the ability to develop medical devices and digital health solutions accessible to the target population.
Participating Partners will be focusing on the establishment of telecardiology hospital hubs in Lebanon and Jordan, specifically targeting vulnerable populations. These hubs will become centers of cardiac monitoring and diagnosis, delivering concrete medical cardiac services remotely regardless of patients’ geographical location through Helis Infract.NET.
Through SALAM’s interdisciplinary consortium, partners would be able to use their resources and expertise to target each sector. Organizations that work closely with the target population would facilitated access to remote areas, while academic and clinical partners would offer technical medical support, health skills, and capacity-building initiatives to future healthcare professionals.
The project will be concluded with the dissemination of its results among partners and stakeholders through national and transnational activities and conferences with the presence of representatives of each partner institution.
UOB’s Involvement
As key partner, The University of Balamand’s role is to support SALAM in both technical implementation and strategic development by contributing in management, scientific research, healthcare innovation, training, and dissemination activities. Furthermore, UOB is involved in the design, execution, and monitoring of project activities, ensuring alignment with SALAM’s objectives of enhancing healthcare accessibility and promoting digital health solutions in the region.
UOB will assist in developing five Work Packages as listed below:
WP1 Management and Coordination
WP2 Communication and Dissemination
WP3 Creation and Functionality of SALAM Solution
WP4 Sanitaire Education Protocols for Healthier Communities
WP5 Boosting the TN Research Network
Total Project Budget
- 2 999 000 Euros
Project Starting Date
- December 17, 2025
Faculty Members involved and Roles
Project Manager – Dr. Elie Karam, Dean of the Issam Fares Faculty of Technology
Financial Manager – Mrs. Nicole Ibrahim
Communication Manager – Ms. Tatyana Metry