To honor Franco Buzzi’s memory, Buzzi Unicem has developed an initiative that reflects things that Franco loved: the company, to which he dedicated his life; brilliant young people who could represent the company’s future nourishment; the USA and in particular Texas.

This is why Buzzi Unicem will award every year, on a continuing basis, a scholarship that will provide the employees’ sons and daughters with the unique opportunity to attend a Master in Business and Administration at the prestigious McCombs School of Business - University of Texas, at Austin.

We chose one of the best schools in the USA: it ranks #15 in US News 2014 Best Business School ranking and #20 as for selectiveness, as it only accepts 24% of applicants. Austin is a vibrant, friendly city, with a high quality of life and a dynamic business ecosystem.

The program we selected is a 2-year, full-time MBA, that Buzzi Unicem will fully fund, thus covering not only tuition and fees, but also standard ancillary costs (travel, insurance, living costs, etc.). All employees’ sons and daughters, from all of the group’s countries, can apply. They must meet the requirements set by the Business School’s admissions criteria, regarding age, bachelor’s degree, work experience, English proficiency and analytical skills.

Transparency and fairness are key to us, so Buzzi Unicem will not in any way be involved in the evaluation and selection process. That process will be managed in full by the University of Texas. The only way to submit the application is online, on the school’s website. Once the selection phase is complete, the first endowed student will attend the MBA program according to the university schedule.

As a company, we are proud to launch this project. We know for sure that this could be a turnaround opportunity for focused, committed people. And we like to think of Franco as a significant part of this growth process, too.