FOSTERING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND SOCIAL INNOVATION THROUGH CSR: THE NEW ROLE OF UNIVERSITY

Sustainable development is a global objective to overcome the economic, environment and society crises worldwide. The paper aims to explore the proactive and dynamic model of the university’s education system, focusing on the new role played by the School of Economics in the promotion of economic, social and environmental sustainability, and how this goes beyond, in stimulating bottom –up social entrepreneurship ideas through students engagement. The research is based on 1) an analysis of the importance of education in fostering social development and entrepreneurship; 2) descriptive analysis of innovative laboratories modules, by exploring and mapping the best project proposals initiated by the students; 3) a case study analysis on waste management (UniRecycling) project, scaling up objectives, stakeholder mapping, activities and the expected results. The findings show the new role played by School of Economics, along with other partner institutions, in stimulating the student’s engagement in workshops that enable the transfer of knowledge, skills and self – development. The model is based on a dynamic bottom-up model of learning and dissemination of sustainable and entrepreneurial ideas, that aims (1) to sensitize students to be active and create project ideas for social and environmental entrepreneurship, defining a first learning experience with the profile of ‘local ethical promoters’; (2) build and strengthen the local territorial networks, to contribute to the creation of a system of services attentive to responsible and sustainable entrepreneurial development.