University Meets Microfinance (2010-2016)
Activity period: 2010 – 2016
Background
University Meets Microfinance (UMM) was a European initiative that aimed to foster cooperation between European universities, students and microfinance practitioners to contribute to microfinance innovation and education for sustainable development. UMM was launched by PlaNet Finance and Freie Universität Berlin in 2009 with the support of the European Union, the PlaNet Finance Foundation and other partners to meet students and academics' growing interest in microfinance education and research. Among the partners involved in UMM, beyond e-MFP, were the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Investment Bank Institute (EIB-I), and the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
Objectives
To perform as an innovative task force active at the different levels of education, knowledge creation, capitalization and dissemination in the fields of microfinance and inclusive finance in response to the interest of several e-MFP members to further enhance students' research and microfinance education and to develop linkages between students, researchers, academics and practitioners in order to produce quality research outputs.
Activities
Scholarships for field research or internships
Research Award for Graduate Students (PhD and Masters)
Training on microfinance and thematic workshops in different European Universities
Thematic Publications
Achievements
Close to 60 academics from 41 universities and 65 microfinance practitioners from 36 organisations volunteered to support UMM as Selection Committee members of the UMM Awards.
UMM workshops and events gathered more than 4,600 students, professors, and practitioners from more than 10 European countries.
Resources
14th UMM Workshop on Responsible Inclusive Finance and Customer Empowerment, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, September 2015
12th UMM Workshop on Enhancing Food Security and Resilience to Climate Change: What Role for Microfinance?, University of Bergamo, June 2015
10th UMM Workshop on Understanding the Challenges: New Insights from Practice & Research on Mobile Banking, Remittances and Green Finance, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, July 2013
9th UMM Workshop on Financial Inclusion & Microfinance in Latin America, University of Salamanca, May 2013
8th UMM Workshop on Microfinance in Crisis? Impact and Financial Transparency, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, July 2012
6th UMM Workshop on Rural Finance & Savings, University of Groningen, June 2011