Webinar 1 – October 21, 2025

On October 21, 2025, MENAGEN hosted the launch webinar for the 5th Mentoring for Publication Program (MPP 2025-26) from 2:00–3:00 pm KSA time (12:00–1:00 pm UK time). The session was open to all and provided an opportunity to introduce the new cohort of mentees and to highlight some of their impressive achievements.

Webinar 2 – December 15, 2025

Presented by Dr Parisa Baig

On Monday, 15th December, 2025 at 3:00 pm KSA time (12:00 pm UK time), MENAGEN hosted the webinar Constrained but Connected: Female Scholars in GCC Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Networks.

We were delighted that Dr Parisa Baig presented this webinar. The study examined how female scholars in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) universities build and sustain research networks in entrepreneurship and innovation despite cultural and institutional constraints. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research team analyzed 4,613 publications (2014–2024) to construct a co-authorship network of 14,250 authors, complemented by 19 interviews with female scholars across six GCC countries.

The findings revealed a paradox: while women constituted only 25% of the network and were marginalized from central collaboration hubs, they disproportionately occupied critical brokerage positions that maintained network cohesion. The interviews uncovered adaptive strategies including conference-to-digital networking progressions and chain-referral systems, alongside significant barriers such as 15–25 hour teaching loads, gender-segregated spaces, and family obligations.

Two theoretical contributions were introduced: mediated weak ties (connections through trusted intermediaries) and constrained brokerage (bridging positions from exclusion rather than choice) that extend network theory to non-Western contexts. These findings offered vital insights for supporting women’s research participation and building more inclusive academic ecosystems in the GCC region.

Presenter: Dr Parisa Baig, Lecturer at the School of Business, Operations and Strategy at the University of Greenwich.

Study Team:

• Dr Abdullah Ijaz, Lecturer at the University of Greenwich

• Dr Azar Mahmoum Gonbadi, Lecturer in Business Analytics at the University of Greenwich