Qatar and Germany have expanded deep-tech partnership with the launch of ESMT Berlin DEEP Institute and Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) in Doha.
In partnership with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Qatar Research Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council, the Institute for Deep Tech Innovation (DEEP) at ESMT Berlin Tuesday signed a pact to expand its footprint globally and strengthen the programme offering in both Berlin and Doha in areas of technology transfer and innovation.
DEEP Qatar will strategically connect the innovation ecosystems of Germany and Qatar and serve as a central hub for technology transfer, deep-tech innovation, and entrepreneurial growth.
The expansion builds on ESMT’s longstanding presence in Doha, including its EMBA/EMPA degree programme offered in partnership with the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies since 2018.
“By joining forces with QIA, ESMT Berlin, CDL, we will significantly strengthen Qatar’s role as a regional and global player in deep-tech innovation. Through these programmes, we aim to attract leading global deep-tech companies, while accelerating the commercialisation of the outstanding science emerging from our universities and knowledge institutes,” said Omar al-Ansari, secretary-general, QRDI Council.
The new institute in Qatar aims to harness Qatar’s scientific and technological potential while enabling cross-border collaboration. It will be built on three core pillars that drive science-based entrepreneurship: CDL-Doha, DEEP Academy, and DEEP Pioneers.
Operated by DEEP Qatar in partnership with CDL-Berlin and CDL-Paris, CDL-Doha will feature deep-tech streams in artificial intelligence (AI), health, and agriculture and food.
Each stream will support around 20 science-driven ventures annually, guided by internationally recognised mentors, including serial entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and researchers. Over a three-year period, CDL-Doha aims to support more than 150 ventures in total.
Participants will benefit from the corporate, mentoring, and investor networks available in both Doha and Berlin.
The financing for CDL-Doha comes from QIA’s Fund of Funds programme, an initiative focused on developing the region’s startup ecosystem by attracting leading VC firms to Qatar.
DEEP Academy is a highly selective entrepreneurial education programme for researchers and scientists from Qatar and the wider Gulf region, providing immersive, human-centric training to help participants develop the skills, mindset, and confidence necessary to translate their scientific discoveries into viable startups. DEEP Pioneers, which will serve as a venture-building engine, aims to identify promising technologies, particularly from Qatari research and technology organisations, and pair them with experienced entrepreneurs to form high-performance startup teams capable of global impact.
The QRDI Council, the initiative’s implementation partner, will ensure that all activities support the country’s innovation strategy, long-term goals of increasing private sector-led research and development, fostering technology transfer, and driving growth of the innovation ecosystem.
“This partnership is a strong signal of mutual trust, strategic collaboration, and a shared vision for the future between Germany and Qatar,” Sigmar Gabriel, former vice-chancellor and foreign minister of Germany and honorary senator of ESMT, said, adding “ESMT brings its core strengths in research, education, and entrepreneurship to this important initiative.”
