The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), recently participated in the SXSWedu Conference & Festival held in Texas,USA.  
As well as organising several sessions, members of the WISE team and representatives of WISE Accelerator projects took part in a number of panels and workshops exploring employment and the skills gap, the role of social entrepreneurs, and the impact of social enterprise in teaching and learning. 
The SXSWedu Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education. The four-day event served as an opportunity for the WISE community to present its work to a wider audience, bringing a unique global perspective to the US-focused mega-conference on education.
The WISE Accelerator is a competitive programme in which selected innovative education projects receive a year of dedicated mentoring with members of the WISE community, providing them with effective strategies and concrete support to ensure their development.The programme links the projects with an international network which creates opportunities for knowledge sharing and investor support. Three WISE Accelerator project leaders presented their work at the conference. 
Moreover, Dr Sakena Yacoobi, the WISE Prize for Education Laureate, was honoured as a keynote speaker. In her address, ‘Education, Development and Peace in Afghanistan’, Dr Yacoobi presented her work in bringing education to Afghans under the extremes of war, displacement, and oppression during Taliban rule.