Annual Report 2007 - Santander

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY*SANTANDER UNIVERSITIES:A FIRM COMMITMENT TOHIGHER EDUCATIONOne of the hallmarks of Banco Santander and the main focus of itscorporate social responsibility policy is its institutional commitmentto universities.Banco Santander invested EUR 119million in Corporate Social Responsibility in2007, more than 75% of which went touniversities.Banco Santander is convinced thathigher education is the most effective toolfor fostering social and economic progressin the countries where we are present.The Santander Universities GlobalDivision fosters, develops and coordinatesthe Group’s commitment to highereducation through a unique alliance withuniversities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile,Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Peru, PuertoRico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Portugal, theUK, Russia the US and Morocco.HIGHLIGHTSAgreements with 623 universities in 15 countries2,507 projects a year jointly conducted with universities12,460 scholarships for study, research and the first professional experience1,056 universities are part of Universia93,921 university students found their first job via Universia in 2007290 start-ups by universities supported175 Internet rooms190 innovation projects and to foster the entrepreneurial culture400 technological innovation initiatives3.1 million intelligent university cards in 170 universities36It also actively cooperates with thecommercial networks of the countries wherethe Group is present, in order to provide thebest products and innovative and specialisedfinancial services in preferential conditions, soas to meet the needs of university students,teachers and staff.The five main areas of SantanderUniversities are:• bilateral agreements of cooperation;• scholarships;• Universia, the largest online networkof university cooperation;• cooperation with internationalacademic networks;• and dissemination of Spanish andHispanic culture through initiativessuch as the Miguel de CervantesVirtual Library.ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2007• Cooperation agreements withuniversities in the UK, Russia and theUS.• Enlarging and developingprogrammes of scholarships forinternational travel, such as “Becas150 aniversario,” which enabled1,500 students to spend a term inanother country.• Support for entrepreneurs inuniversities, giving rise to the LatinAmerican University Network ofCompany Incubation.• Universia’s consolidation as a meetingpoint and the world’s leadinguniversity portal, which bringstogether 1,056 universities from 11countries and forms an alliance of 11million students.• Cooperation with science parks atuniversities.GOALS FOR 2008• Sign new agreements with LatinAmerican universities, increase thepresence in the UK, Russia and the USand open relations with universities inChina.• Foster cooperation between LatinAmerican and US universities.• Increase the provisions of theIntelligent University Card among theuniversity community.• Strengthen university projects relatedto innovation, the transfer oftechnology and developing anentrepreneurial culture.• Promote and enlarge national andinternational mobility programmes• Create a community of Santanderscholars.* The 2007 Sustainability Report provides detailedinformation on the full scope of Banco Santander’sCorporate Social Responsibility.