UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE WORKS WITH YC TO CREATE SOCIAL BUSINESS CENTER
The University of Florence visited the Yunus Centre in September and began creating a social business centre at the University. Then in January, a memorandum of understanding was signed, making official the partnership between the University of Florence and the Yunus Centre. The Yunus Social Business Centre of the University of Florence (YSBCUF) will be run by PIN S.c.r.l. Servizi Didattici e Scientifici per l’Università di Firenze, a non-profit organization with a majority share owned by the University of Florence.The goal of the Yunus Social Business Centre will be to provide students, entrepreneurs and citizens with the opportunity to learn about Professor Yunus’ theories by creating social businesses and by supporting research and publications on social business and its effect on economic and local development. In addition to offering courses and research opportunities, the Yunus Social Business Centre will establish and promote social businesses both throughout Italy and in other countries.
The Yunus Centre’s role will be to hold an advisory position, monitoring and coordinating projects carried out at the YSBCUF. Additionally, the Yunus Centre will utilize the expertise of the YSBCUF in impact evaluation in order to measure and share the results of social businesses. The YSBCUF will also use its competencies in monitoring and evaluation to ensure that social businesses will continue acting according to the principles of social business.
The YSBCUF has already begun discussions with potential investors who have expressed a great interest in financing a social business fund. The social business centre is expected to start in the beginning of May and expects to begin holding workshops this year and social business classes by next year.
To contact the Yunus Social Business Centre of the University of Florence please write to the Executive Director in charge of international activities enrico.testi@pin.unifi.it or to the Executive Director in charge of project management marco.tognetti@ldca.eu
