Open Call for the Selection of a Copywriter for the Development of a Playbook

Call for Tender within the Lebanon Innovate EU-funded project

Terms of Reference

Project Title	Lebanon Innovate (Reference: NDICI-GEO-NEAR/2022/ 435-765-PC 18220)
Financing	European Union
Contracting organisation	The European Business Innovation Centre Network (EBN)
Experts to be selected	EBN is seeking to contract a professional copywriter to design and produce a high-quality 20-page playbook that captures the Lebanon Innovate methodology, showcases partner and beneficiaries’ contributions, and translates project insights into a compelling and replicable narrative for emerging innovation ecosystems.

Background

Lebanon Innovate is a 42-month program funded by the European Union, which aims to foster an enabling knowledge transfer and IP ecosystem in Lebanon and transform research and innovations emerging from universities and research centres into commercial ventures. Ultimately, the program seeks to contribute to sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth.

To achieve this goal, the project aims to meet the following needs at a national level:

• Foster an enabling environment to boost innovation and capacitate stakeholders, especially in creating and sharing knowledge and commercializing technologies.
• Strengthen cooperation between industry and academia to promote innovation and knowledge transfer and support the commercialization of products.

Innovation management is today recognized as a key component of both academic and industry strategic thinking and management efforts. As such, universities and research centers need to be able to facilitate the translation of research results into new services, technologies and new business models designed for a changing (global) society. To better enable this transfer of knowledge to the market, universities and research centers need to establish clear innovation management plans and integrate them into their wider organizational strategies.

As emerged from the NEXT SOCIETY Innovation Roadmap, the Lebanese ecosystem is challenged by the lack of funding for applied research, lack of Intellectual Property (IP) policies and support as well as weak links between academic research and industrial needs.

There is still bigger impact Lebanese universities and research centers can unlock by encouraging and supporting the potential of researchers to drive economic prosperity and solve current challenges through sound innovation strategies and IP policies. Therefore, the Lebanon Innovate project aims at promoting and fostering a culture and a mindset of innovation within Lebanese universities and research centers, focusing on strategies for effectively commercializing research and IP assets.

Objective

EBN is seeking to contract a professional copywriter to design and produce a high-quality 20-page playbook that captures the Lebanon Innovate methodology, showcases partners, beneficiaries and EBN member contributions, and translates project insights into a compelling narrative.

The copywriter will be responsible for structuring and synthesising content from existing project materials, including reports, will be conducting interviews, and gathering stakeholder inputs. They will ensure a clear, engaging, and strategic narrative aligned with EBN’s positioning and communication objectives. Close coordination with EBN and project partners will be required to validate content and reflect diverse perspectives. Final deliverable will include a publication-ready playbook with coherent messaging, storytelling elements, and strong visual guidance for design.

Scope of Work

The activity will consist of:

• Content development: Review and synthesise existing project materials and conduct stakeholder interviews to gather insights and relevant inputs.
• Structuring and writing: Develop a clear structure and draft a compelling, accessible narrative aligned with EBN’s communication objectives.
• Revision and finalisation: Coordinate with EBN and partners to integrate feedback and deliver a publication-ready playbook with guidance for design and visuals.

• Methodology & Activity Description

The activity will follow the following approach:

Planning meeting: Initial meeting to review and refine the proposed outline developed by EBN and based on expert input.

Desk research and content review: Analysis of existing Lebanon Innovate materials (quarterly reports, methodologies, and communication outputs).

Stakeholder consultation: Targeted interviews with project partners, EBN members, and beneficiaries to capture insights, testimonials, and practical experiences.

Iterative drafting process: Development of the playbook through draft versions, incorporating feedback from EBN and partners to refine structure, narrative, and messaging.

Final revision: Final submission of the playbook incorporating all revisions.

Profile of Expert

The expert should meet the following requirements:

• Proven experience in copywriting, editorial work, or content development, particularly for strategic publications or reports.
• Strong ability to translate complex and technical content into clear, engaging, and accessible narratives.
• Experience working with innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship, research commercialisation, or EU-funded projects is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience conducting stakeholder interviews and synthesising qualitative inputs.
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders and integrate feedback in a structured manner.

Budget & Duration

The activity will start in April 2026 upon signature of the agreement, and the final playbook must be submitted by the end of June 2026.

This assignment will be carried out within a total budget of EUR 4,000, all-inclusive, covering professional fees, content development, stakeholder interviews, drafting, revisions, as well as design and layout of the final publication, and any other costs related to the delivery of a publication-ready playbook.

Application Process

Interested experts are invited to submit:

• A CV highlighting relevant experience and previous assignments.
• A portfolio or writing samples demonstrating experience in similar publications or strategic content.
• A short technical proposal outlining the understanding of the assignment, proposed approach, and timeline. (1 page)
• A financial proposal indicating the total cost for delivering the assignment.

Applications should be sent to EBN by [April 6, 2026]. Early submissions are strongly encouraged, as highly proactive candidates may be prioritised during the evaluation process. To be sent to Joanna Abi Abdallah joanna.abiabdallah@ebn.eu cc Bram Pauwels Bram.Pauwels@ebn.eu