In an exclusive agreement in the context of covid-19, over €400 thousand will be allocated to measures to combat the pandemic and its social repercussions. The agreement was signed today between Banco Santander and the University of Coimbra, at a ceremony held in the Senate Room attended by the rector, Amílcar Falcão, and the head of Santander Universities, Sofia Menezes Frère.

Lisbon, 8 July 2020.
Highlights include the Santander Futuro social scholarships, to which €200 thousand will be allocated, and which will be handed out from September, giving students equal access to the University, continuing or starting their university studies. Further, a grant of €100 thousand has been assigned to the "Seed research projects for the post covid-19 era” competition.

The pluriannual patronage agreement with the University of Coimbra also included a wide array of aid, scholarships and programmes to support the areas of Education, Entrepreneurship, Employability, Research, Culture and Sport. Other scholarships encompass the Santander Ibero-Americanas mobility scholarships, Santander Global scholarships, Santander Futuro scholarships, in addition to support for programmes such as Santander Explorer, Académica Start UC or Arrisca C.

In the context of covid-19, aid will be provided specifically for students who find themselves in a precarious financial situation, in addition to the provision of computers and IT material, among other projects.

Initiatives relating to the labour market will involve the launch of comprehensive employability and skills development programmes, such as training in soft skills, mentoring programmes, development of alumni networks, among others.

To promote innovation and entrepreneurship, Banco Santander aims to implement initiatives to bring the University closer to the business world, to allow students to access the labour market, to carry out research and undertake its commercial application, and to promote innovation and entrepreneurship at the University and in society as a whole. In this area, the bank will promote the “Santander X” entrepreneurship programme to support participation in programmes such as Santander Explorer, and other activities in this field.

Scholarship and awards programmes are managed through the platform www.becas-santander.com

Santander and its commitment to education

Through Santander Universities, Santander in Portugal undertakes to promote the best practices in response to the challenges facing 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 through 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 worldwide (Varkey/UNESCO, Fortune 500 Report) with 1,000 agreements in place with universities and institutions across 22 countries.