Within the framework of the “exceptional call for support to academic and scientific mobilities in Lebanon” launched by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in the Middle East for 2021, renowned experts have been charged with various missions, including that related to scientific cooperation between the higher education and research institutions, members of the AUF. The structured and sustainable collaboration beyond national borders, coupled with the international circulation of knowledge and the development of information and communication technologies have broken down barriers which may hinder the advancement of knowledge, thus giving rise to a series of conceptual revolutions, especially in a society such as ours that relies on communication. It is in this context that Mr. Michel Durampart was on a short-term visit to Lebanon from October 27 until November 3, 2021, and was warmly received by the Faculty of Information and of communication (FIC) at Antonine University (UA). Mr. Durampart is a University Professor at the UFR Ingémédia (training and research unit in information and communication sciences) at the University of Toulon, and director of the Mediterranean Institute of Information and Communication Sciences that brings together two teams from the University of Toulon and Aix-Marseille University (IMSIC UTLN-AMU - Toulon site).

It is undoubtedly true that the sessions delivered by him at UA will certainly have considerable impact on the students. Indeed, the training will greatly contribute to deepening their knowledge of information and communication theories, allowing them to open up avenues of reflection on current debate topics, and to explore in an unprecedented manner the link between technology and society, with a view to better understanding the arising challenges, with regard to an international comparison, particularly between Europe and the Middle East. Moreover, they will be equipped with practices and methods pertaining to the dynamics of collective work. Such an opportunity leads us to take a greater interest in the internationalization of programs, as Mr. Durampart considers that it allows us to establish and promote a culture of international cooperation, especially that the latter has always been a key element of cultural dynamism, to encourage innovation through exchange and transfer of knowledge, know-how and experiences between cooperators, to support the international mobility of students and instructors, to increase the value, attractiveness and impact of training courses and diplomas issued in a context of international cooperation and to strengthen the expertise of partners in this area.

Moreover, we cannot but underline the invaluable contribution of this professor in the field of information and communication. In fact, upon his appointment as director of IMSIC, he was able to expand international cooperation with regard to the linkage between education and the use of digital tools (Mexico, Lebanon, Brazil, Canada), and to situate his research laboratory within a broader framework for two large-scale projects: the first one being carried out through his participation in digital thematic groups supported by the Digital Education Department (DNE) of the French Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports. In fact, the IMSIC has greatly contributed to this program by working on an axis that makes an analysis on the evolution of digital acculturation in an educational setting amidst the new challenges of artificial intelligence (AI). Other projects more specifically oriented toward North Africa, the Middle East and the Near East, and dealing with the representations of citizens and the role of digital social networks and media, were executed by the Strategic Observatory of the Mediterranean and the Middle East (OS2MO), a multidisciplinary consortium jointly created by the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES), University of Toulon, Université Côte d'Azur, Aix-Marseille University and Institute of Political Studies of Aix-en-Provence, under the patronage of the Southern region: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. In addition, Mr. Durampart has succeeded in initiating reflections on media education both at a national and international level and enabling the IMSIC to engage in a strategic reflection on the evolution of Mediterranean societies in connection with topics such as health, education, culture, socio-political issues and sustainable development, while taking into account the questions relating to the role of digital social networks and systems.

With regard to the four major research programs that are at the core of the IMSIC scientific project, it becomes obvious that the research projects conducted by Mr. Durempart focus mainly on the third axis, and thus revolve around "immersions and digital media influence: productions, writings, receptions, experiences”. Furthermore, part of his work that is centered around health and culture aspects seems to be more related to some of the topics covered in the second axis on "communications and organizations, actions-innovations-commitments and societal and public values", while other writings on media education are, to a certain extent, in line with the first axis, that of the "challenges and uses of digital socio-technical systems and information transformations", as well as with the fourth one consisting of the "transformations in journalism and media environments: organizations, actors and audiences ”.

Lastly, it goes without saying that the past two turbulent years will remain engraved in our memories. Among the topical subjects that have affected Mr. Durampart the most, are the situation in crisis-hit Lebanon, especially that the professor was driven by the desire to revisit Beirut after more than two years of suspension of international flights, the situation in Afghanistan, Facebook’s global outage, the odd presidential campaign in France and the recent warnings issued on the worsening ecological crises in the world.