The Asia-Link Programme is an initiative by the European Commission to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and eligible countries in Asia. The programme aims to promote the creation of new partnerships and new sustainable links between European and Asian higher education institutions, and to reinforce existing partnerships.

The objective of the Asia-Link Programme is to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in Europe, South and South East Asia and China.

(http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/asia-link/index_en.htm)

In 2003, CEIBS led a consortium of business schools (IESE in Barcelona, Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and the Asian Institute of Management in Manila) to bid for funding for a project entitled Social Entrepreneurship in Asia.

The overall objective of the project is to promote social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility as a component of sustainable development and as a business model for the social betterment in Asia and Europe. The project is designed for mutual cultural understanding between Asian and European Union higher education institutions, strengthen linkages and cooperation between Asian and European business schools teaching and doing research on social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development; and promote social entrepreneurship as a long term career path for emerging management trainees and future leaders.

The specific objective of the project is to increase the social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development skill set of graduate business school students, business school faculty and researchers, and interested local community members.

In 2004, CEIBS successfully secured funding for this project.