We are thrilled to announce that two of our distinguished MENAGEN researchers have been honored with Best Paper Awards at the prestigious International Entrepreneurship Research Conference (IERC) 2025.

Many congratulations to MENAGENer Dr Christine Samy for winning the best paper award in the IERC Women’s Entrepreneurship track, and MENAGENer Dr Safiya Alshibani for winning the best paper award in the Entrepreneurship Education track.

During the MENAGEN 2025 Study Tour, we launched the Special Issue in the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship (IJGE), entitled Contextualizing Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Arab World. The guest editors for this special issue are MENAGEN Co-Founders and Co-Chairs, Haya Al-Dajani, Hayfaa Tlaiss and Sara Alshareef.

Submission Deadline: October 17, 2025

This is a unique chance to helps create positive change in the Arab world and beyond. For submission guidelines and more information, click Learn More.

Following the MENAGEN Study Tour, the majority of the Study Tour participants (28) headed to the Mohammed Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship (MBSC) located in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) overlooking the Red Sea. Here, they attended the IERC 2025 conference, Jan 21-23 2025, and presented their research in the various tracks. MENAGEN’s Haya Al-Dajani and Sara Alshareef were delighted to co-chair the Women’s Entrepreneurship Track with MENAGEN MPP Mentor Natalia Vershinina.

MENAGEN also contributed a panel session for the IERC entitled Women’s Entrepreneurship Research, Policy, and Practice in Saudi Arabia and Beyond.

Moderator:
Professor Haya Al-Dajani, MENAGEN Co-Founder and Co-Chair

Panel Members:
Ms Eman Alaskandrani: MBSC Alumna, Entrepreneur and Director of Critical Care & Outpatient Nursing Department and Change Management Leader at KFSH-D / EHC
Dr Sara Alshareef: MENAGEN Co-Founder and Co-Chair
Ms Modia Batterjee: Entrepreneur and Al Bidayah Co-Founder
Professor Susan Marlow: MENAGEN MPP Mentor and Professor of Entrepreneurship
Dr Deema Refai: MENAGEN MPP Mentor
Professor Natalia Vershinina: MENAGEN MPP Mentor and Professor of Entrepreneurship

The MENAGEN 2025 Study Tour, funded by the Babson Global Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (BGCEL), offered 38 international and local scholars a transformative exploration into the evolving landscape of women’s entrepreneurship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Over 2.5 days, participants engaged with local entrepreneurs, attended professional development sessions, and explored the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Discover a collection of journal articles on Gender and Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region. Our resources offer valuable insights and research findings that can support and inspire your work. Click learn more to explore these valuable resources and share your own research with us.

We are thrilled to announce that the mentor-mentee matching process for the Mentoring for Publication Program (MPP) 2024-25 has been successfully completed! This year’s program brings together a diverse group of scholars and experts who will collaborate on impactful research topics in the field of gender and entrepreneurship across the MENA region and beyond. Explore the full details of the mentor-mentee pairs and their research topics by clicking the button below.

On February 25th, 2021, MENAGEN proudly hosted a groundbreaking global E-Forum titled “Challenges and Solutions to Overcome Crisis: The Role of Women’s Entrepreneurship Research.” Co-sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Education Research and Innovation Deputyship, the Babson Global Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (BGCEL), and the Gender and Enterprise Network (GEN), this event was held under the patronage of His Excellency Professor Nasser Aloqaily, Deputy Minister for Research and Innovation at the Saudi Ministry of Education.