Doha: Under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar University (QU) launched the 8th International Conference on Entrepreneurship for Sustainability and Impact (ESI 2025). This event was organized by the College of Business and Economics under the theme “Frontier Technologies for Resilient Economies.”
According to Qatar News Agency, the opening ceremony was attended by HE Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, and HE President of QU, Dr. Omar Mohammed Al Ansari, along with senior officials and international experts. The conference is recognized as a leading academic gathering in the region, attracting over 600 scholars, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders from more than 50 countries. The focus is on exploring how emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, the Internet of Things, Quantum Computing, Robotics, and Advanced Data Analytics are shaping the future of business, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
In her keynote remarks, Prof. Rana Sobh, Dean of the College of Business and Economics and Conference Chair, emphasized the importance of fostering innovation and adaptability in a world marked by rapid technological disruption and global uncertainty. She noted that the technologies discussed at the conference are catalysts for imagination and progress and stressed the need for responsible action to build strong, inclusive, and forward-looking economies.
Prof. Sobh also highlighted the significance of this year’s theme, which underscores the economic as well as the moral and social imperatives of frontier technologies in ensuring equitable development. She mentioned that QU aims to transform knowledge into societal value by supporting innovation ecosystems that strengthen resilience at all levels.
The conference’s Business Consortium brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, and executives to discuss topics such as Fintech and Financial Transformation, Government Institutional Excellence, Technology for Climate and Sustainability, and AI in Education and Humanitarian Affairs. These sessions facilitated dialogue between academia and industry, addressing issues like data ethics and the potential of digital technologies for promoting transparency and sustainable governance.
Dr. Mohammed El Gammal, Chair of the ESI 2025 Organizing Committee, highlighted the conference’s success and growing global participation. He noted that this edition attracted over 650 research papers from around the world and featured a Doctoral Day for PhD students from more than 58 countries. The Business and Industry Forum at the conference provided a platform for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders to engage with academics in identifying innovative solutions to challenges in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.
Dr. El Gammal further elaborated on the conference’s key outcomes, which include nurturing a new generation of doctoral students, producing policy recommendations for empowering entrepreneurship and sustainability ecosystems, and exploring technological applications that support sustainable and entrepreneurial practices.
Dr. Jim Adams, a former Deputy Chief Technologist at NASA, delivered the opening keynote address, sharing insights from his experience in space technology and innovation. He emphasized the importance of empowering people to use technology effectively and inspired the next generation to find creative, ethical solutions to global challenges.
The conference also featured academics such as Dr. Sui Sui, Dr. Khaled Hussainey, Dr. Adel Ben Youssef, and Dr. Arman Eshraghi, who discussed digital entrepreneurship, sustainable finance, circular economy strategies, and supply-chain resilience.
Dr. Amna Al Ansari, Director of the Strategic Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Office at QU, highlighted the university’s role in fostering innovation among students and researchers. She noted the transformation of creative ideas into startups and technologies with real impact, citing student-led innovations as examples of QU’s contribution to national development and global knowledge.
Parallel sessions at the conference included presentations of over 90 peer-reviewed research papers across 17 thematic tracks. The event concluded with a Women Entrepreneurs Forum, celebrating female innovators advancing inclusive economic development in the region.