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Heriot-Watt University has partnered with HEC Paris in Qatar to deliver Entrepreneurship 2020, a workshop on Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Diversity.
In Qatar, we're supporting research capacity and identifying common research priorities between Qatar and the UK.
Funded by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and the British Council under the Qatar-UK Researcher Networking Program, the event involved early career researchers from Qatar and UK based institutions. It was designed to take a critical perspective on current research in entrepreneurship research in the region and internationally and it engaged the participants in key discussions around entrepreneurship, diversity, leadership, humanism and Islamic business.
One of the objectives of the workshop was to cultivate research capacity in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
Frank Fitzpatrick, British Council Country Director, said, "The British Council is connecting researchers from the UK and Gulf through funding grants, to increase collaboration and development of educational institutions. In Qatar, we're supporting research capacity and identifying common research priorities between Qatar and the UK. This helps us to identify and back UK-Qatar partnerships that support greater economic engagement, and joint research and innovation with Qatar."
Dr. Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director of QNRF, said, "The workshop was a great success as it provided a platform for both local and international early-stage researchers to discuss the different challenges of entrepreneurship. The networking opportunities and the informal nature of the workshop created an inspirational atmosphere to encourage [research in] entrepreneurship and enable innovation. Entrepreneurial activities are seen as playing an important role in economic growth and creating new jobs, both of which are key factors in sustaining Qatar's transformation from a hydro-carbon to a knowledge-based economy."
Dr. Malak Hamdan, Head of UK Science and Innovation Network (Gulf), added, "International collaboration in scientific research plays a crucial role in promoting prosperity and sustainable growth in every country. We hope to see a number of long term UK-Qatar research projects established as a result of this Research Networking Programme."
The event also offered participants advice and guidance about advancing through an academic career and discussions on funding opportunities and specific research projects. The next step will be to identify and applying for funding streams both in Qatar and in the UK as well as identifying joint research papers and conference presentations.
The four Professors who organised and delivered the workshop included Professor Nicolina Kamenou-Aigbekaen (Principal Investigator, School of Management and Languages, Heriot-Watt University, Dubai campus), Professor Wolfgang Amann (Principal Investigator, HEC Paris in Qatar), Professor Laura Galloway, (School of Management and Languages, Edinburgh campus and Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University) and Professor Marios Katsioloudes, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Qatar University.