EDHEC mobilizes for future generations

French business school announces a focus on sustainability and CSR in all activities: learning, entrepreneurship, and international experience

India, August 18th 2022 – Most young people entering the workforce today[1] (77%) say they want to make an impact by protecting the environment, expanding social programs, or advancing technology. EDHEC Business School is committed to helping young people reach their goals. So, it is accelerating strategic projects in sustainability, active learning, and responsible entrepreneurship—all as part of the school’s 2025 strategic plan.

Making an impact on climate change

EDHEC’s dedication to launching young people into careers of impact permeates every degree and certificate programme. In 2015, EDHEC was one of the first business schools to incorporate Make an Impact into its education strategy, and it continues to be a leader in teaching students how to move forward despite complex climate and economic challenges. This year, EDHEC created the Sustainable Impact Project (SIP), which encourages bachelor students to develop community projects that address at least one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Nearly 1,000 students on EDHEC’s Lille and Nice campuses participated in a Sustainable Impact Project during the 2021-22 academic year.

CSR at the heart of business education

To ensure that students enter the workforce with the right tools to tackle complex social and climate issues, EDHEC is teaching CSR and climate change topics in all degree programmes. The school’s new Planetary Limits and Sustainable Economic Models module provides students with crucial facts about climate change and energy issues, gives them tools to analyse existing business models, and helps them envision sustainable alternatives. The course outlines the evolution of humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels and explores the link between emissions and climate change.

EDHEC requires master’s students to take a certain number of courses dedicated to social responsibility and climate change. The school already offers courses such as Corporate Social Responsibility and From Climate Science to Climate Finance and continues to expand course offerings to meet student demand. Electives in climate and social responsibility such as behavioural finance and socially responsible investing are also being added. Thanks to a partnership with Mines ParisTech, France’s top engineering school, EDHEC master’s students can specialise in Global and Sustainable Business or Climate Change & Sustainable Finance.

Hybridisation and entrepreneurship

In partnership with EURECOM, a graduate school and research centre in digital science, EDHEC is announcing the creation of an EDHEC x EURECOM x IMT (Institut Mines Telecom) incubator in Nice.

This new incubator combines the strengths of its three partner schools and aligns with EDHEC’s hybridisation strategy. It will support high-impact projects in DeepTech (AI, blockchain, greentech) and digital technologies (6G, cellular networks, connected mobility, cybersecurity). This 12-month incubation programme will provide participants with a dedicated programme manager, 300+ experts and mentors, research laboratories, and a network of professors and researchers. The incubator will welcome its first class of 10 start-ups in January 2023.

Giving new sense to the international experience

EDHEC is partnering with big-name international partners such as UC Berkeley Haas, BI Norwegian Business School, SKK, Polimi Graduate School of Management, and Imperial College London to develop diverse and ambitious learning programmes. The school’s international model is grounded in academic excellence and includes diversity elements that prepare future leaders to tackle social, ethical, and environmental challenges.

EDHEC is in the process of creating Global Impact Programmes as a response to these complex issues. These programmes will be the cornerstone of the school’s social impact strategy for the international experience. EDHEC will offer students a Global Impact experience in one of three project categories: humanitarian and solidarity, environmental preservation, or social impact entrepreneurship.

In wake of this project, EDHEC is joining the international Global Business Schools Network (GBSN), where the World Bank brings together business schools that want to engage in resolving problems specific to emerging countries by pooling their research and teaching expertise.