Candidates will have until 8 June to submit their entries for the UNI.covid-19 Santander Award to recognise and support projects and ideas put forward by young university students and other members of the academic community that help respond to the situation of emergency caused by covid-19. 

Lisbon, 5 May 2020.
The winners will be eligible for a financial grant with an overall value of up to €30,000 to carry out their projects or to help reach the largest possible number of beneficiaries. This contribution will be distributed in three phases, in which several projects may be selected depending on the amounts allocated to each one. The selected projects will be announced on 15 May, 29 May and 18 June, respectively. Projects that are submitted but not selected on the first dates will continue in the contest until the last day. 

Existing initiatives and new ideas alike will be eligible for the award, so long as they are related to the fight against the pandemic. Candidates may be individuals putting forward projects linked to an academic community; groups of university students; entities with links to the academic world, such as academic associations; and also profit and non-profit entities, such as start-ups with links to an institute of higher education, namely a partnership.  

Projects must be submitted by completing the required information on the Santander Scholarships platform, and candidates may submit more than one project, although only one can win the award. For more information on Santander Scholarships, see: http://www.bolsas-santander.com/pt  

 Santander and its commitment to education 

Through Santander Universities, Santander in Portugal undertakes to promote the best practices in response to the challenges posed by Portuguese society. The bank is already a leading promoter of higher education in Portugal, with partnerships with 50 higher education institutions. The bank invests more than €7 million in Corporate Social Responsibility every year. 

Banco Santander has a strong commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth, boasting a consolidated commitment to higher education that sets it apart from other financial institutions worldwide. It has dedicated more than €1.88 billion to academic initiatives since 2002 though Santander Universities and awarded more than 430,000 university scholarships and grants since 2005. It was recognised as the company that invests the most in education anywhere in the world (Varkey/UNESCO/Fortune 500 report) with 1,000 agreements in place with universities and institutions across 22 countries.