Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), a part of Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), has unveiled a roster of free activities designed to grow the skills of local technology entrepreneurs during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).
Taking place globally from November 15 to 19, GEW, of which QSTP is a founding partner in Qatar, is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who bring ideas to life, drive diverse economic growth, and expand human welfare.
As a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, QSTP is Qatar’s primary accelerator and incubator for technology-based start-ups, and supports QF R&D by fostering new talent in an environment designed specifically to accelerate their route to market in a bid to truly nurture and support innovation and entrepreneurship in Qatar.
An interdisciplinary group of experts will host five workshops on topics of critical interest to current and aspiring technology entrepreneurs at QSTP’s main campus near Education City. The workshops include: Presentation and Pitching, Introduction to Big Data, Introduction to Machine Learning, Speed Pitching, and Arduino Prototyping Workshop.  
“Each year, the importance and enthusiasm surrounding Global Entrepreneurship Week in Qatar and around the world grows,” said Hamad al-Kuwari, managing director of QSTP.
“For the fourth consecutive year, QSTP is proud to play an important role in GEW, with a focus on those entrepreneurs striving to seize and create opportunities in the science, computing and technology space.
“Above all, we aim to nurture the passion and talent of Qatari tech entrepreneurs by offering more world-class insights and access to the field’s best and brightest minds each year.”
On November 17, QSTP will kick off its programme, “Tech Entrepreneurship: Basic to Pro”, with Presentation & Pitching – a workshop covering the fundamental skills of building and delivering a compelling business pitch to potential investors. In partnership with Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), Introduction to Big Data will feature Dr Paolo Papotti - a senior scientist and data analyst at QCRI who is currently developing a platform to clean “dirty” data by making it usable for businesses. At the seminar, which covers the basics of Big Data theory and practice, Dr Papotti will be joined by Dr Zoi Kaoudi - a postdoctoral researcher at QCRI specialising in data infrastructure and management.
Also on November 17, Introduction to Machine Learning will examine the intersection of human and machine intelligence. The talk, featuring QCRI research scientists Dr Mohamed Imran and Dr Shafiq Joty, will include a live demonstration of Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Response - a tool that monitors and classifies social media and other data streams to help stakeholders gain situational awareness in a crisis or other large event.  
On November 18, QSTP innovation mentors Haya al-Ghanim (innovation director), Pontus All (entrepreneurship manager), Mohamed Zebian (innovation manager) and Wadha al-Adgham (marketing research executive), will host a speed pitching session where entrepreneurs will be given three minutes to win over the panel with a concise and compelling pitch of their business idea.
On November 19, QSTP’s GEW programme will conclude with a workshop on Arduino - a highly regarded software platform built for fast prototyping, aimed at students and entrepreneurs who may not have a background in electronics and programming.
Students, graduates, entrepreneurs, researchers and start-ups interested in taking part in QSTP’s GEW activities should register through www.qstp.org.qa