ESMT Berlin signs partnership with Qatar to open deep tech institute and "Creative Destruction Lab"

The European School for Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin has signed an agreement to expand its footprint globally with a deep-tech partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), it announced on 03/02/2026.

Under the agreement, with ESMT's Institute for Deep Tech Innovation (DEEP), Qatar and Germany will launch the ESMT Berlin DEEP Institute and Creative Destruction Lab in Doha. ESMT said the move would "build on Qatar’s growing role as a hub for science-driven innovation, to support scientists, research institutions, start-ups and innovators to transform new technologies into global businesses".

The DEEP Institute will open the Creative Destruction Lab’s first site in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Asia and support a total of around 60 science-driven ventures annually, according to the German institution.

The QRDI will oversee and enable the programmes to ensure alignment with national research, development and innovation priorities and integration into Qatar’s broader innovation strategy. DEEP Qatar…