Santander has extended its 15-year partnership with Edinburgh Napier University for a further two years with a new donation commitment totalling £100,000.
Established in 2009, the partnership has helped make higher education more accessible for Edinburgh Napier students through funding and access to Santander Open Academy, the bank´s global online learning and professional development platform. The new funding will be split into two £50,000 donations across two years.
Each annual donation will support the following areas –
Brighter Future Grants
£10,000 split into 10 x £1,000 awards to Edinburgh Napier students to help them through their studies.
Education
£10,000 split into two £5,000 scholarships specifically for Edinburgh Napier students.
Employability
£15,000 split into 60 x £250 awards to Edinburgh Napier students designed to help them overcome practical and financial barriers to career-enhancing experiences. For example, in-person and online recruitment activities, work experience, placement opportunities and more.
Entrepreneurship
£15,000 split into three x £5,000 awards to support student businesses or university spinouts on their entrepreneurial journey.
Since 2009, more than £1.3 million has been provided directly to Edinburgh Napier in funding support. In addition, students are able to access Santander Open Academy: a global e-learning platform which offers free online courses, grants, and expert-led content aimed at helping people adapt to the modern workforce.
Professor Sue Rigby, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Santander has been a fantastic partner to the University since 2009, and we are grateful for its continued commitment to our students, particularly in the areas of employability and entrepreneurship.
“The opportunities that this partnership offers students of Edinburgh Napier are plentiful, not least through the fantastic scholarship and monetary support that it provides. Over the years, we have seen first-hand the positive impact this can have on a student’s university experience, and we are so thankful to be able to continue to offer this support throughout 2026 thanks to Santander’s valuable generosity.”
Jonathan Powell, Santander UK’s National Partnerships Director, added: “We’re delighted to renew our long-standing partnership with Edinburgh Napier University: a collaboration that has delivered exceptional impact over the last 15 years.
"At Santander, we believe strongly in the power of collaboration and in helping people and businesses prosper. We have supported education, employability, and entrepreneurship for the last 30 years. During this period, we have invested over 2.5 billion euros and helped over 8.3 million people, businesses and universities.
"We also offer free skills development and accessible learning opportunities to the whole university community through our digital platform Santander Open Academy.”
Santander and its support for education, employability, and entrepreneurship
For 30 years, Santander has a firm commitment to education, employability and entrepreneurship, which distinguishes it from the rest of the world's financial entities. The bank has allocated more than 2.5 billion euros and has supported more than 8.3 million people and businesses through agreements with more than 1,000 universities. It has been recognized as one of the companies that are contributing the most to changing the world for the better, according to Fortune magazine's 'Change the World' 2025 list (more information here).
Santander Open Academy is a professional learning and development global platform available to everyone with no requirement to be a Santander customer. The platform offers access to training to improve professional skills and improve employability with 100% subsidized courses, free quality content and scholarships with leading universities and institutions around the world, which are updated according to the skills that are most in demand by the market.