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Leading Companies Online Magazine
Extended Funding for the Beyster Institute’s Middle East Entrepreneurship Development Projects
By Emily Meyertholen, Beyster Institute Staff
In 2004 the Beyster Institute began working with the U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to present an innovative program called Middle East Entrepreneur Training in the U.S. (MEET U.S.). Since then the Institute has presented seven sector-specific MEET U.S. training sessions, bringing over 150 of the Middle East and North Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs and business leaders to San Diego for intensive three-week training sessions, including customized internships, company site visits, great networking opportunities and interactive training sessions led by prominent university faculty, entrepreneurs and Beyster Institute staff. The program has also involved 90 U.S. businesses that have hosted site visits and two-day internships for participants.
In the U.S. and the MENA region, many new relationships have formed, new networks are being established, and the alumni are enriching their companies and careers through the enhanced leadership skills and broader business view that the MEET U.S. program fosters. Also through funding from MEPI, a MENA business women’s summit was held last year in Tunisia, attracting 200 prominent female entrepreneurs, and this year the Beyster Institute established the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence in Bahrain, a regional training and networking resource.
The Institute’s work with MEPI has grown from an initial grant of nearly $1 million for the MEET U.S. program in 2004 to a total of $4.5 million to continue that program and manage additional entrepreneurship projects for the MENA region. Through a recent $3.97 million grant extension, the Institute will present additional MEET U.S. training programs in San Diego (including a program in September to encourage the use of entrepreneurship principles in the development and management of non-governmental organizations), a second MENA business women’s summit for 200 women in Abu Dhabi this fall, and several “mini-MBA” training sessions in the region designed to reach a broader audience. The Institute is also managing the establishment of a MENA business women’s network in partnership with several organizations in the region and the U.S.
The Middle East Partnership Initiative is a presidential initiative that supports the aspirations of people in the MENA region for greater freedom and opportunity through economic, political and educational reform.
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