RedEmprendia and Banco Santander enter the CIE programme

The Spanish Ministry for Education, RedEmprendia (Iber-American university network of business incubators) and Banco Santander, through its Global Santander Universities Division, signed a collaboration agreement for the 2011 Campus of International Excellence programme with the aim of fostering academic entrepreneurship.

24/02/2011

Under the agreement, the Ministry for Education will grant financial aids to hire additional lecturers to substitute - from 6 months to one year - academics interested in fully dedicating their time to the creation of a technology-based company (or to the consolidation of a company founded less than three years before). The proposals will be evaluated under the Ministry's pre-established criteria and grants will be awarded accordingly.

Academics will receive all necessary assessment from RedEmprendia to create their business, analyse all financial needs, establish accords on the transfer of technology, and identify means for the internationalisation of their business. RedEmprendia thus will collaborate by providing organisation, contacts, experience and specialised staff. This support, which will be free of charge for academics and their universities, will be funded by Banco Santander through its Global Santander Universities Division.

The agreement was signed on 23 February by Màrius Rubiralta, Secretary General of Universities, Senén Barro, President of RedEmprendia, and José Antonio Villasante, Director-General of Banco Santander and Director of Global Santander Universities Division.