Partners

The ESSEC Foundation supports the development of the Higher School of Economic and Social Sciences (ESSEC) and its international influence. It allows the School to deploy new educational and research activities, and provides scholarships to students.


An initiative led by former students


The ESSEC Foundation was created in 2011 under the aegis of the Fondation de France on the initiative of five former students of the School.

Today it is the place for the synergy of donors and partners who wish to support ESSEC in its ambition for excellence and international scope.

Innovation, excellence, humanism and openness to the world


The foundation supports the School and its students along three main lines.


It finances ESSEC's activities: support for research work, development of innovative educational projects, recruitment of new professors, establishment of international partnerships.

It strengthens the financial autonomy of ESSEC through the establishment of an Endowment, a capitalized fund which makes it possible to increase the resources made available to the School.

Finally, by encouraging the reception of foreign students within the School and by providing scholarships based on social criteria, the foundation supports ESSEC's policy of social and international openness.

CY Cergy Paris University and the CY Alliance

Since 2013, ESSEC is member of CY Alliance, a partnership led by CY Cergy Paris University and grouping nine other higher education institutions. At the core of this project is the CY Initiative, which was awarded an I-SITE (Initiative Science-Innovation-Territory-Economy) grant by the French government in 2017. Its aim is to contribute to the emergence of a world-class, research intensive, international higher education cluster and campus in the Cergy territory.

CY Alliance is a member of EUTOPIA, one of the 17 winning projects throughout Europe in the “European Universities Initiative” launched by the European Commission to build a European Education Area. The founding members of EUTOPIA are Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CY Cergy Paris Université, University of Gothenburg, University of Ljubljana, Pompeu Fabra University, and the University of Warwick.

The CY Initiative is a partner of Fulbright through an annual exchange program which hosts American students, scholars, and researchers in one of the CY Initiative partner establishments, and supports PhD students during their stays in American universities and research institutes.

CY Advanced Studies

CY Advanced Studies was created to develop scientific collaborations between its researchers and the international scientific community, in the fields of modeling sciences, experimental sciences, and human and social sciences. The institute supports the development of ambitious, innovative, and high-level scientific projects through the organization of international scientific events and through its program of invitations to foreign researchers.


The Council on Business & Society (CoBS), visionary in its conception and purpose, was founded in 2011 by ESSEC Business School and is dedicated to promoting responsible leadership and tackling issues at the crossroads of business and society that include sustainability, diversity, ethical leadership and the place responsible business has to play in contributing to the common good. 

In 2024, member schools now number 11, all “Triple Crown” accredited AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA and leaders in their respective countries.

The CoBS is a member of and/or conducts joint projects with: UN PRME, GBSN, GRLI, OECD

The Council believes that today’s challenges cannot be addressed at the level of a single country and offers a unique global, though local perspective on issues relating to CSR, sustainability and responsible business practices.

The Council effectively contributes to the ‘internationalisation’, ‘ethics & social responsibility’ and ‘corporate connections’ chapters for accreditations and rankings, has a global voice with an annual organic digital imprint of 1.4m and was ranked 6th social media CSR influencer in the world (Twitter) in 2020 by the Social Media Research Foundation.



Founded in 2021, we are passionately committed to excellence, positive impact, collaboration, and sustainability, while remaining true to the values and vision of 180DC Global. 


What sets us apart? 


First and foremost, our interdisciplinary approach, recruiting diverse profiles that bring a wealth of ideas to approach client projects in an innovative and multidimensional way. Additionally, we value sector-specific expertise by recruiting experienced profiles that provide relevant strategic advice for the specific challenges of our client partners. Sustainable engagement is at the heart of our missions and operations, with the organization of events that adhere to a sustainable charter, and community engagement is also an important value for us, maintaining strong ties with the school and its impact partners. Lastly, we promote excellence and talent development through our mentoring system and promotion opportunities.