Skoll Centre is embarking upon an exciting phase of growth after being awarded a three-year grant from long-term partner, the Skoll Foundation.
Based at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship helps social entrepreneurs by providing them with cutting-edge education and research to develop their skills, knowledge and networks.
Since launch, the Centre has funded MBA programmes for 15 cohorts of Skoll Scholars; supported hundreds of Oxford students to become effective impact leaders; and catalysed dozens of social impact research projects.
The new grant will support the next phase of growth for the Skoll Centre and focus on expanding its position as a leader in social entrepreneurship education, led by Director, Peter Drobac.
The Centre has kicked off its plan with an innovative new programme - the Impact Lab. This is a year-long co-curricular pathway alongside the MBA programme designed especially for those wishing to pursue careers as social impact leaders. It cultivates the knowledge, tools and personal leadership qualities needed to drive ambitious and systems change across sectoral and organisational boundaries.
Integral to the Centre’s work is its focus on systems change and systems-led leadership. Its central belief is that large-scale change can only be accomplished by altering systems and tackling the root causes of ‘wicked’ problems.
As part of its new strategy, the Centre is launching a new research initiative to explore how social entrepreneurs create systemic change. By studying the experience of over 100 of the world’s most accomplished social entrepreneurs, the Centre will develop academic outputs and pragmatic toolkits to help entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and policymakers implement change. The goal, says Drobac, is 'a practical roadmap for how to change the world.'
The Skoll Foundation is the Centre’s founding and long-term strategic partner. The Foundation seeks to facilitate large-scale social change by investing in, connecting and championing social entrepreneurs and other innovators dedicated to solving the world's most pressing problems.
‘We are incredibly grateful for the Skoll Foundation’s generous funding for the Skoll Centre,’ says Professor Peter Tufano, Dean of Saïd Business School. ‘Our partnership with the Skoll Foundation enriches our global community and helps us cultivate the next generation of purpose-led business leaders.’
‘The world has changed since we launched in 2003,’ adds Peter Drobac, Director of the Skoll Centre. ‘New innovations and technologies have paved the way for dramatically different solutions, while also bringing surprising challenges. Tectonic political shifts have threatened the most vulnerable and eroded faith in our leaders, and the threat of climate change is becoming more real with each passing year. All of this creates new urgency - and new opportunities - for the social entrepreneur.’
‘Thanks to our robust partnership with the Skoll Foundation, the Skoll Centre can continue to cultivate entrepreneurial leaders that will make the world a better place for both people and planet.’
For more information about the Skoll Foundation’s work and its community, visit skoll.org