Santander, the fifth largest bank in the UK, has signed an agreement with Queen Mary, University of London. Thanks to this agreement the university will receive a total amount of £120,000 over a period of 3 years.
The agreement was signed by Luis Juste, Director Santander Universities UK and Principal of Queen Mary, Professor Simon Gaskell at a ceremony on 1 November attended by members of the university and the bank.
The bank’s support will fund among other activities: scholarships and mobility awards for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as academic staff to study and research in the UK or overseas. There will also be special funding for enterprise and entrepreneurship initiatives, including small and medium enterprise projects in local communities.
Professor Gaskell said: “I am delighted to be signing this agreement to join the Santander Universities network. Our shared objectives of student support, enhancement of the student experience, and further internationalisation will undoubtedly ensure a highly productive and lasting relationship."
Luis Juste said: “Santander’s commitment to the university community has become one of the key features of our identity. Queen Mary becomes today the 51st university to join our network in the UK and this shows the importance that the bank gives to higher education as a key pillar for the development of this country. We are delighted to have Queen Mary as a member of Santander Universities and we are certain that the university’s membership will become a great asset to the whole network.”
During his speech Mr. Juste commented on the importance of the internationalisation of the Higher Education sector in response to the growing demand for cross-border collaboration.
Santander, through its Santander Universities Global Division, began its alliance with universities in 1996; since then the bank has signed 975 agreements with 15 countries, including China, Brazil, Mexico, and the USA. In the UK the network began its activity in 2007 and today 51 universities are now members. Queen Mary is the 11th London institution to become part of this network.
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