PARTNERSHIPS AND ENGAGEMENT
PARTNERSHIPS AND ENGAGEMENT
- Home
- Partnerships And Engagement
Building Ecosystems for Transformation
In an era defined by global complexity, progress demands collaboration across academia, industry, government, and civil society. By uniting distinct capabilities, resources, and perspectives, these partnerships allow us to co-create solutions to our most pressing challenges.
OUR IMPACT
- 600SUSTAINABILITY EVENTSAnnual events fostering dialogue and collective action.
- 230+STUDENT-LED initiativesProjects and events by clubs and ambassadors.
- 70ALINNEA EXPERTSShaping climate policy and circular economy frameworks.
- 400+Community projectsOrganized by clubs and student ambassadors.
- 8CIVICA UNIVERSITIESElite European universities advancing sustainability research.
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSÂ
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSÂ
Shared goals. Shared impact.
Corporate partnerships connect real business challenges with academic expertise. Through applied projects, joint research, and co-created programs like the Sustainability Datathon, students and faculty work directly with organizations to develop solutions, test strategies, and analyze data. Partners gain access to research, talent, and fresh thinking. Students gain experience working with real constraints, real data, and real decision-making contexts.
TECNALIA
IE Business School, recognized as one of the most innovative business schools in the world by international rankings, and TECNALIA, one of the largest center of applied research and technological development in Europe, announced in 2024 a strategic partnership to catalyze the development and scaling of deep tech startups, provide internship and career opportunities for IE Business School students and alumni, develop capstone projects, and host events to promote debate and bridge academia and industry.
MICROSOFT
Microsoft co-leads AI4Democracy with IE Center for the Governance of Change, harnessing artificial intelligence to defend and strengthen democracy through coalition-building, advocacy, and intellectual leadership. Microsoft engineers co-teach courses with our faculty. Students work on live challenges. Insights shape product development in Redmond while informing policy recommendations in Brussels.Â
INFOSYS
Infosys brings digital transformation expertise to our sustainability curriculum and Datathon challenges, helping students understand how technology enables sustainable transitions.Â
CAIXABANK
CaixaBank collaborates on sustainable finance research exploring everything from green bonds to impact investing frameworks. When Spain banking sector needed ESG integration guidance, they turned to frameworks we co-developed with CaixaBank.Â
CABIFY
Cabify co-creates urban mobility solutions with our students, testing new service models on campus before scaling citywide. The IMBRIC shared taxi system serving IE. Co-designed with Cabify engineers in an Impact Lab project. From prototype to deployment in months.
EDP
Europe's largest energy supplier and renewable energy leader partners with IE on the Sustainability Datathon, challenging students to optimize Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) for the UK electricity market. Students use real operational data to develop predictive models that maximize profitability while balancing renewable energy supply and demand,supporting the transition to a clean energy grid.Â
REPSOLÂ
Repsol, a global multi-energy company committed to net zero emissions by 2050, partners with IE on the Sustainability Datathon. The challenge: students needed to optimize energy management for industrial facilities using real operational data.Â
With nearly 600 AI use cases deployed since 2018, Repsol brings live industry challenges where students apply predictive modeling and data analytics to decarbonization strategies.Â
ACADEMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
ACADEMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Global partnerships extend the reach of our research, strengthen academic programs, and support the development of solutions across different regions and systems.
CIVICA
An alliance of eight leading European universities in social sciences: IE University, Bocconi, Central European University, European University Institute, Hertie School, NUPSAR, Sciences Po France, Stockholm School of Economics, and LSE. Together, CIVICA fosters collaboration in education, research, and public engagement.
UNSSC
IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs partners with the United Nations System Staff College on curriculum design and teaching for international relations programs.
COBS (COUNCIL OF BUSINESS AND SOCIETY)
A network including IE University, LBS, Cambridge, Oxford, INSEAD, HEC, IMD, and IESE. Amplifying the business education role in addressing the climate crisis.
BS4CL (business schools for climate leadership)
A network including IE University, LBS, Cambridge, Oxford, INSEAD, HEC, IMD, and IESE. Amplifying the business education role in addressing the climate crisis.
REME (Repurposing management education)
Partnership with Polimi, TUM, EDHEC, UCL, and University College Dublin adapting management education to address environmental and social justice challenges.
UNESCO Chair in AI Ethics and Governance
Our UNESCO Chair positions IE University at the forefront of technology governance and human rights. When global frameworks for responsible AI are written, our research shapes them.
IE FOUNDATION
IE Foundation supports initiatives that expand access to education, fund research, and develop solutions to complex social and environmental challenges. It enables collaboration across institutions and sectors, connecting resources with projects that deliver real outcomes.promotion of IE University's core values.
Thought leadership and dialogue
Thought leadership and dialogue
Platforms that connect expertise with action, so research and insights can inform policy, business strategy, and decision-making.
ALINNEA
ALINNEA
Launched in 2024 and hosted by IE University through IE Foundation, ALINNEA is a dynamic Think and Action Tank dedicated to accelerating effective and equitable climate action. Supported by the European Climate Foundation, ALINNEA convenes 70+ experts from academia, industry, and policy to identify actionable solutions through multi-actor dialogue and interdisciplinary research.
From Spain's official Circular Economy Roadmap to Madrid's urban mobility plan, ALINNEA translates research into government policy demonstrating how strategic convening and cross-sector collaboration drive systemic change.
AI4Democracy
AI4Democracy
Led by IE Center for the Governance of Change with Microsoft as strategic partner, AI4Democracy harnesses artificial intelligence to defend and strengthen democracy through coalition-building, advocacy, and intellectual leadership.
Two complementary tracks: The AI4Democracy Action Coalition builds alliances with international organizations and democratic governments promoting responsible AI governance. Democracy-Affirming AI Intellectual Leadership involves publication of policy papers by global AI experts.
RAIA
RAIA
RAIA engages students in applied research on climate leadership and policy. Participants analyze real cases, assess policymaker decisions, and evaluate the outcomes of different approaches. This work builds the ability to connect theory with practice and understand how policy decisions are made in complex environments.
Campus and community engagement
Campus and community engagement
Programs and initiatives that allow students, faculty, and staff to test ideas, build experience, and contribute to actual projects in practical contexts.
Earth Month
Earth Month
Earth Month is IE University's flagship sustainability event, bringing the community together through a month of activities focused on environmental action and engagement.
Nineteen events in 2025, with more than 300 attendees among students, staff, faculty and guests. Activities span outdoor engagement, expert talks, impact-oriented projects, health and wellbeing activities, volunteer work and community engagement, and exhibitions and art installations.
Sustainability Townhall
Sustainability Townhall
Our goal is to promote initiatives that highlight the importance of community and human connection. Being a part of a community unites us, building cohesion and resilience which allows us to adapt to a complex world.
We created the Sustainability Townhall to evaluate proposals that would have a positive impact for our community, our campus and beyond.
Sustainability Week
Sustainability Week
A student-led initiative focused on sharing practices, fostering ideas, and developing projects that tackle real challenges through collaboration and experiential learning.
Sustainability Champions
Recognition of faculty and staff who actively model sustainability for the IE community through their teaching and everyday actions. By highlighting these practical examples, the program inspires the adoption of effective sustainability practices across the entire institution.
Sustainability Ambassadors
Sustainability Ambassadors
Our ambassadors bridge the gap between the Sustainability Office and departments across all three campuses. By championing best practices and driving internal initiatives, they inspire the IE University community to unite and take meaningful action together.
Sustainability Clubs and Student Groups
Students are integral to advancing sustainability at IE University, and clubs are instrumental to the IE University experience. Among the many clubs on campus, several dynamic groups allow students to participate in community engagement activities, host awareness events, and provide peer education and outreach about local and global issues of concern related to sustainability.
Student clubs are central to sustainability at IE University. Across campuses, these groups lead community engagement, host awareness events, and drive peer education on local and global sustainability challenges.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BEYOND GRADUATION: ALUMNI
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BEYOND GRADUATION: ALUMNI
IE University alumni carry these efforts beyond campus, applying what they have learned in business, government, entrepreneurship, and civil society. Through global networks and ongoing collaboration, they contribute to projects, partnerships, and initiatives in many different contexts.