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Collaborations

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OUR Collaborations

GLOBAL IMPACT INTERNSHIPS

The 2008 deadline has passed, stay tuned for 2009 global impact internship information.

Partnering Opportunities

Given our range of faculty and student resources, WDI’s BoP Initiative is uniquely positioned to work with a broad range of partners. This work spans the globe with recent projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Our resources include:

ACCESS TO FACULTY EXPERTISE: Our BoP faculty and fellows are constantly applying the latest thinking with our partners. This involvement includes both faculty engagements, development consulting, and leading teams of students into the field.

WDI’S GLOBAL IMPACT SUMMER INTERSHIP PROGRAM: We connect top-notch University of Michigan graduate students with organizations needing support on BoP-related ventures. Based on a competitive process, WDI provides funding to facilitate a number of 12-week student internships with selected partner organizations. More information is available at www.wdi.umich.edu/Resources/StudentProjects.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTION PROJECTS (MAP): These projects are organized in conjunction with the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Through the MAP program, teams of 4-6 MBA students work full-time with a partner organization during March and April. Unlike traditional internships, MAP is integrated into the core curriculum for academic credit and is conducted with faculty advisors. In past years, BoP MAP teams have worked in the field in a variety of countries with global companies, local enterprises, and nonprofit organizations. More information and a project proposal submission form are available at www.bus.umich.edu/map.

VisionSpring

Scojo Foundation, a BoP venture creating economic opportunities in the developing world through the sale of affordable glasses, has changed its name to VisionSpring to better reflect its mission and brand for the long term.

In conjunction with its name change, VisionSpring has launched a $5 million prospectus. The prospectus represents the latest thinking in BoP ventures and nonprofit development, in which capitalization is based on the private sector equity model. The prospectus builds on VisionSpring’s commitment, as part of the Clinton Global Initiative, to more than triple the scale of its impact by 2010.

VisionSpring, a long-standing partner with WDI, has also invited Ted London, Director of WDI’s Base of the Pyramid research initiative, to sit on their Advisory Board.

For more on VisionSpring and its innovative activities, click here.