Abstract

Sponsorship contracts, in Italy, are now increasingly used by public administrations, as public-private partnership instruments, in order to raise funds for the construction, the enhancement and the readaptation of public interest buildings and infrastructures or in order to support public organizations innovation and public services quality improvement financially or through the provisions of products and services. This way of using sponsorhip may alter somehow what has been considered so far, along with civil courts, the typical purpose and scope of the related contracts. The fee paid in exchange for name, image or brand recognition seems to be largerly absorbed by the financial support itself, that becomes the main purpose of a contract aimed at pursuing public interests. Sponsorship contracts are now regulated by art. 26 of the "Code of Public Contracts". University of Bologna made use of this provision in order to find resources to restore and readapt the official site of its School of Law. At this end the University made the sponsorship proposal and drew up the draft contract examined in this study.