Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Islamic Studies (CIS) has organized a conference from the 7th through 8th of Februaryto discuss the inextricable linkages between entrepreneurship, public policy, and education within the context of promoting sustainable development. In partnership with the Qatar National Research Fund and the World Innovation Summit for Education, the conference is taking place at HBKU’s CIS building in Education City.

Leading academics, industry experts,high-ranking policy professionals, and students will attend the conference, titled “Entrepreneurship, Public Policy, and Education Nexus.” The event aims to shed light on howenterprising individuals can act as agents of change in achieving economic diversification goals outlined under Qatar National Vision 2030.

Dr. Mohammed Evren Tok, Assistant Professor at CIS and the main organizer of the event, said: “It is crucial to balance modernization and tradition in fast-moving economies, such as Qatar.Searching for the moral basis of entrepreneurship in this regard could help identify new articulations between globalization and localization; social cohesion and capitalism; culture and markets; and finally between modernization and tradition.” 

Discussion will focus on entrepreneurship and innovation that directly addresses Qatar’s transition to a diversified knowledge-based economy that is globally competitive and simultaneously resilient to external cultural influence. Some notable topics discussed will include intellectual capital management, Qatar’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, Islamic institutions and its impact on innovation, and social justice combined with ethics for rising entrepreneurs. 

The conference features several workshops, panels,and keynote addresses planned by a blend of local and internationalrepresentatives from diverse sectors. The conference will start with a panel, which will host the CEO of Qatar Development Bank, Mr. Abdulaziz Al Khalifa as well as the CEOs of INJAZ Qatar, Qatar Business Incubation Center, Qatar Finance and Business Academy, and Qatar Science and Technology Park. Her Excellency EwaPolano, Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, will also speak on the Swedish economic transition from a raw material exporter, to a society reliant on entrepreneurship and knowledge for economic growth. Other speakers and panel members includeCEOs and senior executives from startups, financial institutions, and innovation centers, along with distinguished researchers from renowned academic institutions from around the world.