Social Business Initiatives in Scotland
Former British Premier Gordon Brown and Vice-Chancellor Pamela Gillies at the launching  of the Yunus Centre of Social Business and Health at the Glasgow Caledonian University in Glasgow on July 5 with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, after whom the Centre has been named.
Photo credit: Lamiya Morshed
Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in Glasgow, Scotland launched a Centre named after Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus on July 5 in an elaborate ceremony attended by academics and  elites of Glasgow city. The Centre named "Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health" has been established by GCU to carry out action research to find solutions to social problems, including the critical issue of access to microcredit and   affordable healthcare.
A leading health economist of the UK, Professor Cam Donaldson has been appointed as "Yunus Professor" to lead the Centre in implementing its objectives. On the occasion of the opening of the Centre, Professor Donaldson gave the inaugural lecture of the Yunus Chair. Entitled  "Markets and Health in the Home of Adam Smith and Yunus" referring to father of modern economics Adam Smith who studied and taught in Glasgow, and Yunus who created the concept of social business. The Yunus Chair was established at the Glasgow Caledonian University in early 2010. Former British Premier Gordon Brown made a special appearance at the event to have a meeting with Professor Yunus on the occasion of the latter's visit to Glasgow. Vice Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University Pamela Gillies presented Professor Yunus with a rare first edition of Adam Smith's book "The Theory of Moral Sentiments".
Through the partnership with GCU, a series of social businesses will be created in Scotland to bring job opportunities to families who have been dependent on welfare for generations. As a first step GCU and Government of Scotland are preparing to set up "Grameen Scotland"- a microcredit bank in Glasgow along the lines of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. To take advantage of Professor Yunus's visit, GCU organized a high level meeting attended by John Swinney, Finance Minister of Scotland, Vice-Chancellor Pamela Gillies and six heads of foundations and companies to discuss the business plan of the bank. The main target group of the microcredit bank would be individuals who belong to families who have been on welfare for four generations in the City of Glasgow. The Finance Minister pledged his full support to the bank, including facilitating appropriate legal framework for the initiative.
With the collaboration of GCU, Grameen has already launched the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing in Bangladesh.
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, who was in Glasgow from 3-6 July, also signed an MOU for collaboration with Professor Anton Muscatelli, Vice Chancellor of the 600-year-old University of Glasgow to develop close collaboration between the university and Grameen to build academic programs on social business. The University organized a day-long conference on social business, with Professor Yunus as Chief Guest, attended by delegates from many countries.
