• Responsible Banking Report | 2019
Supporting

Higher Education

At Santander, we are convinced that education is the cornerstone of efforts to drive the progress of current and future generations and the creation of a better world. This is why our social investment strategy focuses on education, mainly higher education.



We have strong initiatives that promote students in Mexico towards higher education and that have as main axes of action the academic orientation, employment and the university digital transformation.

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.



Santander Universidades and Universia

In Mexico, through Santander Universities and Universia, we have forged alliances with the leading higher education institutions in the country to guarantee access to quality education. We are convinced that young professionals can have a significant impact on society from their specific areas of study.









1. University Entrepreneurship

University students who have the initiative to help bring their own ideas to life have our support to make their dreams come true. Every year, we support university projects and programs that drive innovation, internationalization, collaboration and academic research, through the following programs:

  • Santander Scholarships for High-Impact Entrepreneurs - TREPCAMP

    An intensive training program for entrepreneurs at major innovation centers in the USA, including Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Austin, San Diego and Los Angeles, helping students to develop skills that are of key importance to the success of their projects and ideas. In 2019, we benefitted 220 young people through an investment of MXN $15.4 million.

  • From Startup to Company - Lean Startup MX

    Through the Lean Startup methodology, we designed a program that promotes the optimization of time, money and other resources to reduce the barriers facing entrepreneurs and increase, through smart investments, the probability of success of their startups.

  • MOOC “From Idea to Company”

    This program consists of an online course that focuses on developing skills and competencies, as well as how to implement innovation within an organization and create solutions for innovative products and services.

    This course has been offered mainly to students from public universities, helping them on their road to becoming entrepreneurs by teaching them about finances, laws and the steps and paperwork needed to set up a company.

2. Educational Innovation

  • Santander-American Council on Education Grants

    A program that brings together close to 2,000 leaders in education to focus on trends and issues in higher education. In 2019, this forum was held in the United States, and we offered 22 grants, with a total value of MXN $500,000 for the Mexican delegation of university presidents, who represent the country’s leading universities.

  • College of Independent Colleges Grants

    A program for presidents of Mexican universities that aims to provide a space for engagement between key players in higher education in Mexico and the United States. In 2019, we provided 12 grants, totaling MXN $132,000 for presidents of leading partner institutions of Santander Universities.

  • Council for Advancement and Support of Education Grants

    A program for university presidents that encompasses 3,670 institutions in 82 countries, the goal of which is to promote institutions of higher education through institutional reflection, marketing, alumni relations and institutional alliances. Each year, 15 grants are given to presidents of Mexican universities, with a total value of MXN $350,000.

3. Mobility

Domestic and international student mobility is one of the most important tools in helping students develop. This is why we offer mobility scholarships program through the following programs:

  • Santander Academic Mobility Scholarships

    This comprises three specific undergraduate and postgraduate scholarship programs (Santander Domestic Mobility Scholarships, Santander Ibero-America Undergraduate Scholarships and Santander Scholarships for Young Researchers and Faculty), in which outstanding students receive maintenance grants for academic exchanges to higher education institutions that are members of the Santander Universities network. In 2019, more than 580 mobility scholarships were granted, with a total investment of MXN $20.4 million.

  • Santander-CONACYT-(National Council of Science and Technology) OEI (Organization of Ibero-American States) Scholarships

    This scholarship program focuses on driving the scientific and technological capacity of the region, promoting student mobility and consolidating relations between Ibero-America and Mexico. Through a training grant, talented students from member states and OEI observers are offered support in covering travel and moving expenses. In 2019, 58 scholarships were granted, with a total investment of MXN $765,000.

  • Talentum Universidad

    An inter-disciplinary project in Mexico that helps identify and train high-level university talent. This project focuses on solving social challenges for design of public policies. Last year, out of more than 14,000 applications, the top 50 applicants were chosen, with a total investment of MXN $5.9 million.

  • Santander Leaders in Development - FUNED

    This program offers training to outstanding students through a high-performance academic guidance and preparation process that offers them training and helps them apply for postgraduate programs at some of the best universities in the world. Furthermore, the Mexican Foundation for Education, Technology and Science (FUNED) provides financial support to pay the tuition for their Master’s degree. In 2019, 614 young people were benefitted through an investment of MXN $4.3 million.

  • Santander SEP-Bécalos Scholarships

    This program offers students from low-income backgrounds the opportunity to take part in 6-month exchange programs to community colleges in the USA.

  • Santander EdX-Udacity Scholarships

    This academic training program focuses on developing technological advances, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analysis and Machine Learning. As part of this program, 150 Python programming courses were offered, in addition to 30 scholarships for nanodegrees, with a total investment of MXN $700,000.

  • Santander International Mobility Scholarships

    These are aimed at students interested in taking part in an undergraduate or postgraduate exchange at universities in other countries.

  • Santander Maintenance Grants

    These offer support to university students to help cover expenses during their studies or academic exchange programs.

  • Santander Language Scholarships

    Through this program, we support young people by providing them with a software license to study English and drive their professional development, with a total investment of MXN $500,000.

  • Legacy Santander Scholarships

    In 2019, this program was launched, providing scholarships to 22 university students from Mexico and helping them to continue their studies in the arts, culture and gastronomy, in addition to offering them the opportunity to study at a university in Mexico or abroad.

Other Scholarships:

  • • Santander Ibero-America Youth Scholarships.
  • • Santander FIMPES (Mexican Federation of Private Institutions of Higher Education) Research and Postgraduate Scholarships/li>
  • • Bécalos-IEA-Santander Mobility Scholarships
  • • Santander–UNAM International Mobility Scholarships
  • • Santander-Anáhuac Scholarships

4. University Services

To support universities in the country, at Santander we have divided our support in this area into three major pillars: Employment, Training and Marketing.

In terms of employment, we continue supporting higher education institutions in Mexico through outreach and employment programs for the university community through an employment platform for students, through which we offer them search tools for internships and help them find their first job. In terms of training, we have platforms and seminars. And, in terms of marketing, we use marketing tools to promote universities through virtual fairs, collaborative networks and segmented information.




We use virtual tools, such as SAAE (Student and Alumni Management Software), to identify high-potential young people to help drive their professional development.

We also promote internships at SME’s through scholarships offered to students through our Santander Universities scholarships. We also strive to ensure that students can take part in an immersive experience in investment fund management in several areas of Santander Asset Management.

In addition to offering scholarships and supporting higher education, we also participate in events and workshops with national and international experts, focusing on analyzing the future of higher education and its needs. An example of this is Future Leaders X, which, in 2019, was attended by 100 people from universities and partner organizations, with a total investment of MXN $1.5 million.

Santander Business Innovation Award

Every year, we embody our entrepreneurial spirit through the leading university entrepreneurship award in Mexico: the Santander Business Innovation Award. We invite young entrepreneurs to submit their applications in one of two categories. In 2019, in our Idea category, we received 1,669 applications, while 974 were entered into the Prototype category.




Health, education and the digital divide


Industrial technologies


Information technologies


Smart cities


Clean energy


Fintech

2019 Winners


The best projects in each category (Idea and Prototype) are as follows: