Under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar University (QU) will host the sixth international conference Entrepreneurship for Sustainability & Impact (ESI), from Oct. 17-19.
Held under the theme Tackling Grand Challenges for a Sustainable Future', the event aims to enhance research cooperation, exchange experiences on entrepreneurship and innovation practices, and develop policies that address economic, social and environmental challenges. Researchers representing over 80 universities from 50 countries will participate in the event.
The conference promises to host lively discussions on a range of topics, including but not limited to: Climate Change, Food and Water Scarcity, Social Inequality, Energy Insecurity, Climate Mitigation, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) & Net-Zero, Digitization & Disruption, Social Entrepreneurship, Industry 4.0, Smart Cities, Sustainability Pedagogy, Sustainable Investment and Crisis Resilience.
This conference will explore practical strategies that organizations can employ to address critical issues, such as climate change, food and water scarcity, social inequality, and energy instability.
Organizers invite submissions that explore this theme both theoretically and through real-world case studies and are keen to receive contributions that shed light on how organizations are integrating sustainability into their operations, aligning with the principle of meeting current needs without compromising the prospects of future generations.
Dean of the College of Business and Economics Prof. Rana Sobh spoke at the press conference saying, "Entrepreneurship plays a key role in bringing about positive change in societies and in addressing the most important challenges facing humanity, including climate change, lack of sustainability of resources, social inequality, and economic instability. That's why we need entrepreneurs who don't just aim for profit but derive their entrepreneurial ideas from their desire to find solutions and leave a positive impact on their communities." Prof. Sobh also spoke about the college's organization of MENA Business Schools Alliance for Sustainability, which plans to include business schools in the MENA region, noting the importance of the alliance and its impact on the future of business in the region.
Director of QUs Center for Entrepreneurship and Organizational Excellence, Prof. Said Elbanna, who is also the conference chair, noted that, the conference will include more than 220 research papers presented by researchers from 50 countries, with 27 percent from the State of Qatar. He added that the conference will feature four panel discussions for industry leaders and four training sessions for PhD students.
Dr. Al Banna added that this conference aims to link academic research with societal needs, with the aim of reducing the gap between theoretical research efforts and societal needs.
The press conference witnessed two interventions from representatives of Qatar National Bank (QNB) and Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB), about the importance of the conference and the role of financial institutions and companies in enhancing sustainability efforts.
The Conference will be held this year on the sidelines of the activities of Expo 2023 Doha Qatar, which takes sustainability as one of its main themes.
Source: Qatar News Agency