First-rate education is a must for the advancement of society, and likewise merit-based education which rewards talent and enables greater opportunity. Bearing in mind this responsibility, Esade will increase their foundation’s commitment and their partnerships with companies, foundations, institutions and individual donors with a view to encouraging all actors to help young talent and triple the number of grants by 2028.

Esade and their donors awarded 278 grants totalling €3.2 million in the 2019-2020 year. They are convinced that this is scalable and will have a positive impact on society by enabling university access and academic excellence at Esade for young people who show talent, potential and hard work during their secondary education but lack the financial resources to study at Esade.

“Universities are responsible for contributing to society by pinpointing talent where it is not visible. Education in Spain is still determined to a considerable extent by family income. Our experience is that talent can be found everywhere and that good academic results are more valuable when achieved in difficult social and economic settings,” said the Esade managing director, Koldo Echebarria, during the 9th Gathering for Talent held at Esade.

Three times more grants in coming years

Echebarria explained that Esade will treble their grants in coming years and already plans to offer 35 more grants for the next academic year. “We have entered this new decade determined to tackle new challenges, advancing towards reducing social exclusion and increasing equal opportunities for those determined to cultivate their talent”, he explained.

At the same time, Esade is also committed to studying the percentage of tuition fees covered by grants. This year was up 23% on the previous year, climbing to an average of 66% of tuition fees. Many grants covered full tuition fees plus a residence grant for talented students from other regions of Spain and other countries and from low-income backgrounds.

The 278 students with grants in 2019-2020 studied the following programmes: Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA), 77; Bachelor in Law & Bachelor in Global Governance (GED&BGG), 50; Double Degree, 44; MSc programmes, 39; MBA, 23; Master Universitario en Abogacía (MUA), 23; Bachelor in Law, 16, and Bachelor in Global Governance, Economics & Legal Order, 7.

2018-2019 Donations Report

According to the 2018-2019 Donations Report that Esade publishes each year in line with their commitment to donor transparency, of the €3.2 million earmarked for talent grants, €1.1 came from private donations and the rest from Esade’s own funds.
In addition to these €1.1 million for grants, €1.3 million of donations were used to finance research projects, giving a total of €2.4 million of contributions from private entities and companies and Esade staff, students and alumni.

Commitment to research

Research advancement is another major challenge for Esade. Echebarria pointed out that donations to the tune of €1.3 million were used to fund research with a direct impact and value added for the classroom, organisations and society in general, carried out at Esade’s different research centres.

“Teaching is increasingly linked to the advancement of knowledge. This is why innovation in education should help increase the value of what we do, and this means developing not only content but also knowledge in line with the needs of the job market”, he said.

“Bring out your inner talent”

 During the Gathering for Talent, several former students shared their experiences about the grants that enabled them to study at Esade. Javier Arroyos, a third-year student on the Esade BBA thanks to a talent bursary, explained how it all began 10 years earlier. “I saw my older brother taking a law degree at Esade and working at the same time. He dedicated so much time to it all. I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to develop the same potential. At Esade I discovered that all your effort today will be your future reward. I learnt that every day you must bring out your inner talent”.

 “I am a woman and the daughter of immigrants, two characteristics that have marked my whole life,” explained Naima Bouzagou, in her fourth year at the Esade Bachelor in Global Governance, grant Coca-Cola European Partners. “I often felt that I didn’t have the same abilities as my colleagues. Many women like me struggle day after day to overcome this financial obstacle. Esade gave me the opportunity to discover what it means to make an effort and fight for what you want. Without a bursary I wouldn’t be here today”.

 Mireia Marquillas is taking a BBA at Esade with a bursary. “I want future generations to inherit a better world than the one we live in and above all I want them to realise that there is still a long road ahead towards a world of equality, fairness and peace”.

 The Esade Gathering for Talent was attended by Eva Jané-Llopis, director Health, SDGs and Social Innovation Program, Esade, and Carles Navarro, managing director of BASF Spain, who spoke about the important contribution that business makes to research. Also taking part were the alumni donors; Patricia Estany (Lic & MBA 85), managing director of JP Morgan, Counselor of Atresmedia and Founder and President Fundación Quiero Trabajo; Sonia Mulero, director of the Banc Sabadell Foundation, and Pere Rodríguez, director of the Personnel Division at the Indukern Group, who spoke about students with grants with a view to pinpointing points in common between different generations, and building bridges between their lives and concerns.