December 16-19, 2024: IBA proudly conducted the “Winter Immersion Program 2024” at the City Campus, which was organized in collaboration with IBA’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (IBA-CED). The program brought together renowned international trainers to shed light on the importance of entrepreneurship education, research, and incubation management in academia.
Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA Karachi, delivered the keynote address. He highlighted that there needs to be an overhaul of the curriculum taught to students to consider the ever-evolving realm of entrepreneurship. Dr. Zaidi added, “Workshops such as this allow participants to think creatively to keep up with changing trends in business.” 
Dr. Sanna Ilonen, University Teacher and Mr. Joachim Ramstrom, Education Expert on Entrepreneurship & Innovation Education, School of Economics, University of Turku, and Islam Mohamed, Chief Investment Officer, Arweqah AlReyadah, Saudi Arabia, were the trainers for the two workshops held over four days.
The first workshop, “Fostering Entrepreneurship in Academia”, was led by Dr. Ilonen and Mr. Ramstrom, who have over two decades of combined experience in Entrepreneurship. They allowed participants to develop a robust understanding of the tools and resources needed to create and deliver engaging entrepreneurship modules or courses. The participants included university faculty, incubation centre staff and media professionals in attendance.
The second workshop, led by Mr. Mohamed, one of the brightest minds in the innovation ecosystem, on “Elevating Innovators and Incubators”, underscored the necessary hands-on knowledge and skills to design and manage a thriving university-based business incubator program.
Dr. Lalarukh Ejaz, Director, IBA-CED, gave the closing remarks. She thanked the speakers and participants for being a part of the program. Dr. Lalarukh stated, “There was a dire need for universities and incubators to engage in such activities and workshops where the knowledge exchange and structured discourse took place.”
A combination of lectures, interactive discussions, and case studies ensured that the WIP 2024 was a truly immersive learning experience for participants. The event exemplified IBA’s dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through impactful collaboration and knowledge exchange.
