in specialised master’s programmes in business and young professionals from Latin America, Europe, Asia and beyond. It is aimed at proactive, adaptable and collaborative students who are interested in sustainability, innovation and leadership. Typically, they will be between 22 and 30 years old with at least one year of work experience, as well as a passion for responsible business practices. The programme is grounded in a clear principle that when students are brought together from different locations and backgrounds, each experience should generate demonstrable value for the host community. In this way, international mobility becomes understood not simply as cultural observation or physical displacement, but as a responsible intervention aimed at co-creating solutions, strengthening local capacities and fostering transformative learning. It is internationalisation with purpose and evidence. Creating lasting value Delivered over three weeks, the programme operates as an intensive, interdisciplinary and intercultural taskforce, centred on a real-world impact challenge developed in collaboration with local organisations. Each challenge seeks to address critical areas such as social development, economic growth and environmental sustainability. The curriculum, meanwhile, combines applied, field-based learning with three MBA-level courses. Innovability is a module examining the integration of innovation and sustainability in the design of responsible business solutions (worth five credits in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, or ECTS). Ethics (worth 2.5 ECTS) explores ethical decision-making in relation to governance, stakeholder engagement and sustainability. Finally, Leadership (five ECTS) focuses on developing self-aware and ethically grounded leaders equipped to navigate complex global environments. International participants work in multicultural teams alongside local stakeholders to analyse challenges related to innovation and sustainability. They identify priorities, test potential solutions and deliver actionable proposals supported by implementation roadmaps designed to generate positive impact. With learning firmly rooted in real- world contexts, participants act as consultants-in- training responsible for creating tangible value beyond the classroom. The academic experience is then enriched further through networking opportunities and cultural activities that deepen intercultural awareness and broaden professional networks.
At Centrum PUCP in Peru, a new international summer exchange programme is seeking to bring the format into modern times, through its focus on generating lasting solutions for societal challenges and local communities. The programme’s creator, Fernanda Falcone Pino , provides the details Moving the needle on global mobility
F or decades, exchange programmes have been one of the most visible expressions of internationalisation in higher education. They have broadened students’ global perspectives, strengthened intercultural competence and enriched learning beyond the classroom. Today, however, the international exchange is at a turning point: it must no longer be assessed primarily by destination, duration or the numbers involved, but by its purpose, equity and impact. In a landscape shaped by the carbon footprint of travel, the ethical tensions associated with academic tourism and growing demands for more responsible experiences, the concern is not so much about where students visit, but rather what they transform when they travel. With this conviction, Centrum PUCP created the Summer Programme: Mobility for Positive Impact, an initiative that aims to redefine international mobility as an applied, ethical and results-oriented learning experience. Taught in English, the programme is designed for international MBA students, participants
28 Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2026
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