Refugee Entrepreneurship Project Concept

Purpose and Aims:

The project on Syrian entrepreneurs is undertaken due to a large number of Syrian entrepreneurs in Turkey.  Over 5,000 new businesses have been established in Turkey since 2011 with Syrian partners. However, there is no research on this Syrian community, and only a few organizations are providing support to Syrian entrepreneurs. The project is undertaken to find the problems and opportunities which exist for Syrian entrepreneurs in Turkey. The purpose is to help the government and non-government organizations realize the obstacles which Syrian entrepreneurs are facing so they can be facilitated in conducting their businesses. It should also help provide support services to existing and new Syrian entrepreneurs.

Activities:

• Interviews and Research Article

Conducted qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with 10 Syrian entrepreneurs in Istanbul. The data is then analyzed in order to find the themes and conduct qualitative data analysis. The research article is being written and will be published in the near future.

• Presentation of Results at MDE Conference in Bremen, Germany

The results of the study were presented at Migration and Diaspora Entrepreneurship Conference held by Bremen University in Bremen, Germany. Academicians from various European and Asian countries attended the presentation. Information on Syrian entrepreneurs in Turkey was shared with them in order to add to limited literature in Refugee entrepreneurship.

• Presentation of Results at 5^th WATAN Conference

The results of the study were shared at the Economic Integration workshop at the 5^th WATAN Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey. The results were followed by a discussion among different Syrian NGOs working in Turkey regarding economic integration of Syrians. The participants appreciated the findings and derived some aspects which they can incorporate into their strategy of economic integration.