Quotanda and EIF launch €55 million initiative under InvestEU to enhance access to education across Europe

The European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), has signed a new InvestEU-backed guarantee agreement with Quotanda and eight leading European universities, education providers and non-profit organisations to unlock up to €55 million in student financing.

The initiative allows students at participating institutions to start their studies without paying tuition fees upfront and to repay their tuition only after they have completed their studies and found a job, easing financial pressure at the start of their careers.

The initiative was announced yesterday at an event in Luxembourg, attended by representatives of the EIF, the European Commission, Quotanda and participating education institutions: Esade Business & Law School (Spain), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi (Italy), Hertie School (Germany), Academia Institute of Technology (Slovenia), Algebra Bernays University (Croatia), 4Geeks Academy (Spain), CODE.science (Germany) and Yaran Foundation (Spain).

“If you have the talent and the skills to study what you want, but not the financial resources, EIF has your back. Investing in European education and talent is an absolute priority for the EIF, because skills and knowledge are the strongest foundation for a globally competitive and successful Europe.”

The EIF-EC-Quotanda partnership removes upfront financing of tuition as one of the most persistent barriers for students allowing them to focus on completing their studies and building their professional careers before being met with financial obligations at the time they can afford repaying. It builds on EIF’s longstanding cooperation with Quotanda that has already enabled thousands of students to access higher education through innovative financing models.

This cooperation demonstrates strong demand for this kind of innovative financial solutions and has a positive social impact, supporting students from diverse socio‑economic backgrounds and ensuring that access to education is driven by ability, ambition and effort rather than immediate financial means.

“This initiative shows European cooperation at its best: the EIF, education providers and Quotanda working together so that more students can access the skills and education they need,” said Quotanda’s Co-Founder Lino Pujol-Soliano. Together, we are making high-quality education more accessible through payment options that are fairer, more flexible and better aligned with their future.”

“To address the European skills gap we stay committed to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness by way of re- and upskilling,” said EIF Chief Investment Officer Marco Marrone. “This new initiative aims to make education opportunities available to students and learners that want to invest in their future, creating a lasting impact on the educational landscape in Italy, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, and Croatia.”

A partnership that delivers for Europe

With EIF support, under the InvestEU programme, participating education providers and non-profit organisations can offer deferred tuition payments or income‑linked repayment solutions that would otherwise be difficult to provide at scale. EIF shares part of the financial risk through a portfolio guarantee, allowing institutions to offer financing on more accessible and student‑centric terms. For students, this means minimising upfront tuition fees and predictable repayments aligned with future earning capacity.

This is helping to scale a new generation of education finance, aligned with Europe’s need for advanced digital, technological and managerial skills.

This operation forms part of the EIB Group’s broader commitment to education, skills and human capital, which is central to Europe’s long‑term competitiveness and resilience. In 2025 alone, the EIB Group provided €3.3 billion for education and skills, and more than €13 billion over the past five years, supporting learning from early education to advanced research across Europe.

Investing in education is also investing in Europe’s future. Evidence consistently shows that each additional year of education is linked to a 9–10% increase in private earnings, while delivering broader benefits through stronger social cohesion, innovation capacity and economic resilience. Through initiatives like this one, the EIB Group continues to translate that long‑term vision into tangible opportunities for students across Europe.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed EUR100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

Quotanda is a leading European education finance technology firm specialising in flexible student payment programmes. It helps students overcome financial barriers by partnering with educational institutions and foundations to expand access to higher education through deferred tuition programmes and income sharing agreements. By coordinating the EIF-backed guarantee across Europe, Quotanda continues to deliver impactful, inclusive solutions that address the skills gap and contribute to building a brighter future for all.

InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments previously available for supporting investments within the European Union together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible.

The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of EUR 26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least EUR 372 billion in additional investment.