The Ministry of Industry and Commerce organised a remote workshop as part of the activities of the GCC Committee for Small and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurship, during which the Comprehensive Guide to Business Incubators and Accelerators, prepared in cooperation with the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), was presented.
The workshop was held as part of efforts to exchange expertise and experiences in developing the business incubators and accelerators ecosystem across GCC countries.
Shaikha Abdullah Al Fadhel, Director of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Directorate at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said that the guide documents the Kingdom's more than two decades of experience in regulating business incubators and accelerators, and provides a practical framework for exchanging expertise and experiences at the GCC level.
She added that the guide provides relevant entities with a reference based on regulatory frameworks and operational requirements, supporting the development of programmes and the assessment of their performance.
The guide also builds on Bahrain’s efforts to develop the business incubators and accelerators environment by establishing an integrated framework covering policies, licensing procedures, supervision and performance assessment, based on clear standards and in line with international best practices.
Al Fadhel noted that the guide also keeps pace with the sector’s latest trends, including virtual incubators, the use of artificial intelligence and supporting the digital transformation of small and medium enterprises, contributing to enhancing the quality of services provided to entrepreneurs and startups and expanding their growth opportunities.
The workshop reviewed Bahrain’s experience in regulating and developing the business incubators and accelerators sector, including its development stages, supporting regulatory frameworks, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce’s role in enabling private sector investment in incubation and business acceleration services.
The main contents of the guide, including institutional and operational design, international models and practices, and ways to benefit from them in developing the sector, were also presented. The workshop also featured a panel discussion on experiences in operating and sustaining business incubators and accelerators, with the participation of Bahraini incubators and accelerators.