Participants and attendees during the SYNC Spring 2026.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a member of Qatar Foundation, hosted founders, operators, and community members at its Doha campus as part of SYNC Spring 2026.
The initiative connects Syrian technologists, founders, and ecosystem partners across the diaspora through distributed conversations and programming spanning more than 30 cities and 17 access centres inside Syria.
The Doha gathering formed part of a wider hybrid conference bringing together more than 5,500 participants globally, reinforcing Qatar’s growing role as a connector between regional talent and international innovation ecosystems, and positioning QSTP as a convener linking local startups to global conversations.
At QSTP, founders from its programs joined SYNC Doha community members in sessions focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. The gathering also included refugee students joining from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkiye, and across Europe, reflecting the initiative’s wider regional and diaspora reach.
QSTP’s participation in SYNC Spring 2026 reflects its role in Qatar’s innovation ecosystem as a hub that connects founders to global networks, knowledge exchange, and emerging opportunities in deep tech, while enabling cross-border collaboration that translates into real economic and talent development outcomes.
The conference featured keynote addresses from Syrian policymakers and global technology leaders, including Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Syrian Arab Republic, H E Abdulsalam Haykal who spoke about digital transformation and the importance of rebuilding technological capacity and supporting talent development.
Another keynote by Minister of Social Affairs and Labour of the Syrian Arab Republic H E Hind Kabawat marked the opening of the Talent and Employer Arena, focusing on connecting talent with opportunities at scale. The program also included contributions from industry and technology leaders.
A session streamed at QSTP titled “Syria’s Tech Ecosystem: Talent, Demand, and Market Gaps” brought together ecosystem leaders to discuss how innovation can better align with market needs. Among the speakers was Rama Chakaki, President of QSTP, who emphasized the importance of building locally relevant solutions as a foundation for broader regional and global growth.
“Syria represents a significant market with deep unmet needs, and founders who solve real problems locally create the most compelling pathways to investment and international scale,” said Rama Chakaki. “We’re already seeing strong momentum, with a 150% increase in newly created ventures. Initiatives like SYNC, which aims to create 25,000 tech jobs in Syria by 2030, alongside QSTP’s mission to grow disruptive technology companies, are helping translate this momentum into tangible opportunities by strengthening talent pipelines and connecting founders to global markets.”
