Doha: HEC Paris, ranked No. 2 worldwide in Executive Education by the Financial Times in 2015, joined forces with Heriot-Watt University to deliver a workshop, Entrepreneurship 2020, in Qatar.
Twenty early career researchers in the field of entrepreneurship attended the event from March 29 to 31 at HEC Paris premises (Tornado Tower).
It offered a networking opportunity in a diverse and intercultural environment. Experts from both institutes teamed up to leverage academic excellence and explore research themes.
One of the objectives of the workshop was to cultivate research capacity in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. The event was sponsored by Qatar National Research Fund and the British Council.
“The workshop exposed early career researchers to new perspectives and challenges in addition to acting as the ideal opportunity to network and tap potential collaborative research opportunities. We hope it had inspired participants to exploit their core competencies, optimise resources and enhance entrepreneurial success,” said Prof Laoucine Kerbache, Dean & CEO, HEC Paris in Qatar.
“The British Council is connecting researchers from the UK and Gulf through funding grants to increase collaboration and development of educational institutions,” said Frank Fitzpatrick, Country Director of the council.
“In Qatar, we’re supporting research capacity and identifying common research priorities between Qatar and the UK. This helps us identify and back UK-Qatar partnerships that support greater economic engagement and joint research and innovation with Qatar.”
The lecturers included Professors Wolfgang Amann, Associate Professor of Strategy and Business Policy and Academic Director, Degree and Custom Programmes, HEC Paris in Qatar; Laura Galloway, Professor of Business and Enterprise and Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, Heriot Watt University; Marios Katsioloudes, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Qatar University; and Nicolina Kamenou-Aigbekaen, Professor of Human Resource Management and Diversity Management, Heriot Watt University.
Key topics covered during the three-day event included entrepreneurship and leadership in a changing world; methodology considerations in conducting research in diverse settings and contexts; role of principles in Islamic business and strategising and project scoping for future research proposals.
The discussions brought to light the role of research as a systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about target markets, competition and environmental/cultural factors.
Poster presentations and reflective exercises formed part of the workshop. The second day featured a networking event with local entrepreneurs of HEC Paris Alumni and delegates from the British Council and QNRF.
It is envisaged that one of the key outcomes of the workshop will be future research collaborations with an emphasis on innovative research, in the context of applied knowledge on entrepreneurship by 2020 in the Middle East.The Peninsula
