Esade reinforces its commitment to inclusive education through InvestEU-backed initiative with EIF and Quotanda
Esade strengthens its commitment to broadening access to high-quality education through its participation in a new InvestEU-backed guarantee agreement signed by the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the EIB Group, and Quotanda.
The agreement will unlock up to €55 million in financing and allow participants to pursue their studies without paying tuition fees upfront, starting to repay them only after completing their education and finding employment. By easing financial pressure at the start of their academic and professional journeys, it aims to remove one of the most persistent barriers to higher education: the need for immediate financial resources.
The agreement is expected to benefit more than 4,000 students from Esade in Spain, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Italy, Hertie School in Germany, Academia Institute of Technology in Slovenia, Algebra Bernays University in Croatia, 4Geeks Academy in Spain, CODE.science in Germany and Yaran Foundation in Spain. It also builds on Esade’s previous collaboration with the EIF and Quotanda, launched in 2024 under an InvestEU-backed initiative aimed at expanding education financing for digital and managerial skills in Spain, Portugal and Germany.
“This is much more than a financial agreement; it is a shared commitment to reinforcing the role of education as a driver of positive societal impact,” said Lisa Hehenberger, Dean of Esade Business School. “It enables us to reach talent at different stages of their academic and professional journey, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent individuals from accessing high-quality education.”
“This is all about fairness and equal opportunity for Europe,” said Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the EIF. “If you have the talent and the skills to study what you want, but not the financial resources, EIF has your back. Investing in European education and talent is an absolute priority for the EIF, because skills and knowledge are the strongest foundation for a globally competitive and successful Europe.”
For Esade, the new agreement will extend this model to a broad range of programs, including undergraduate degrees in Business and Law, Master of Science programs, the Master in Law, the Full-Time MBA and the Executive MBA. The potential impact for the institution is significant, with up to 1,000 Esade students expected to benefit.
The Esade Talent Wheel
At the core of Esade’s approach is the Esade Talent Wheel, a model that reflects how access to education can generate a virtuous circle of opportunity. The concept, named by students already financing their studies through Income Share Agreements (ISAs), captures the idea that students are not only beneficiaries of support, but active participants in a system based on trust, responsibility and future contribution.
Through ISAs, students can pursue their studies without paying tuition fees upfront and contribute back once they progress professionally. This creates a model in which individual success helps sustain new opportunities, reinforcing the connection between access, employability and long-term impact.
For Esade, the Talent Wheel is part of a broader socioeconomic diversity strategy, that also includes the Talent Accelerator that aims to identify and support talented pre-university students from families with limited financial resources. Combined with scholarships and other financial instruments, ISAs help the school attract and support talent from diverse backgrounds in a more structured and scalable way.
“In essence, ISAs allow us to transform education into a multiplying force. One opportunity creates many. One student empowers another. Individual success becomes collective progress,” said Lisa Hehenberger. “This initiative is not just about financing education differently. It is about redefining access as a shared responsibility and about building an ecosystem where opportunity is continuously created, sustained, and passed on,” she concluded.
