About us
Turning rigorous research into meaningful impact
The Esade Center for Social Impact (ECSI) is an academic think and do tank working toward a world in which people and organizations have the capacity to better understand and solve complex global challenges, helping regenerate the environment and reduce social inequality.
We develop research with rigor, reach, and relevance about and for social impact. By connecting academic and applied research with education and social debate, we generate knowledge, tools, and learning experiences that help current and future leaders improve practice, inform policy, and contribute to meaningful change.
How we create impact
Complex social and environmental challenges cannot be understood or addressed from a single perspective. Our synergetic model brings together teaching, research, and social debate. Their intersections strengthen relevance, rigor, and reach - with impact at the center.
Our field-insider approach combines academic and applied expertise. We work closely with practitioners, build relationships of trust, identify patterns and promising practices, and translate our findings into scholarly publications, practical guidance, tools, training, and public debate.
Esade Chair in Social Impact
The Esade Chair in Social Impact, backed by the BBK Banking Foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Bertelsmann Stiftung, and Impact Bridge, is a pioneering initiative created to advance social impact across research, business, investment, and talent development. It bridges academic rigor and real-world action to generate knowledge that matters. Through academic and applied research, collaboration between academia and industry, and leadership development, it equips practitioners, students, and scholars to embed impact-driven strategies into business, investment, and policy. With this vision, the Chair aspires to become an international benchmark and a catalyst for impactful approaches to today’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.
What we do
Our Team
ECSI brings together faculty, senior and postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates, project managers, and specialists in community building, communications, and training. This multidisciplinary team combines academic rigor with extensive experience in social impact practice.
Research
We conduct academic and applied research on how social impact is generated, financed, measured, managed, and scaled. Our main research areas are impact measurement and management, impact investing, gender lens investing, social entrepreneurship, and systemic impact.
By working with organizations in the field, we develop knowledge that advances scholarly understanding while helping practitioners and policymakers make better-informed decisions.
Education & Training
We integrate social impact into business education and equip current and future leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to develop collaborative, equitable, and sustainable solutions.
Our educational activities include undergraduate and graduate courses, the MBA Social Impact Lab, the Impact Investing in Action MBA track, the Esade Map the System Competition, and executive training for professionals and organizations.
Communities & Events
We convene practitioners, researchers, students, policymakers, and field-building organizations to exchange knowledge, challenge assumptions, and strengthen social impact practice. Our communities and events create space for learning, collaboration, and new connections across sectors.
Explore the Annual Chair Event, Esade Impact Talks, the Impact Community, Impact Investing Days, and the Systemic Impact Research Day.
Our vision, mission, and approach
Vision
A world in which people and organizations have the capacity to better understand and solve complex global challenges, helping regenerate the environment and reduce social inequality.
Mission
We develop research with rigor, reach, and relevance about and for social impact.
Approach
We create the conditions for people to understand problems in depth; ask difficult questions that spur novel thinking and innovative ideas; pilot progressive change to learn what works, in which contexts, and why; and develop knowledge, tools, solutions, and leaders that enable social change through research, education, and social debate.
We combine academic and applied approaches, work with sector partners, and emphasize rigor, transparency, and collaboration to increase the relevance and reach of our work.
History
ECSI was created within the Esade Entrepreneurship Institute in 2017 and became a separate entity within Esade during the 2021-2022 academic year. Since then, the center has expanded its research, education, and community activities, working with students, practitioners, policymakers, and academic partners in Spain and internationally. At the end of October 2025, the center launched the Esade Chair in Social Impact, founded and led by Professor Lisa Hehenberger, to further connect research, education, and practice for meaningful impact.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the Esade Center for Social Impact?
2. What does ECSI research?
3. How does ECSI connect research with practice?
4. What education and training does ECSI offer?
5. When was ECSI founded?