Since its foundation, ESO has had the privilege of deciding on its own goals without depending on the support of commercial sponsorship. For this reason it has succeeded in developing the transfer of knowledge also in areas which are least supported by industry (i.e. surgery), in rare pathologies (i.e. child tumours), and in geographic areas with limited economic resources (i.e. developing countries). The School was founded thanks to donations of private donors and members of its General Assembly and Board, presided over by Princess Laudomia Del Drago.

The School’s full scientific independence has been made possible by a permanent and unrestricted core of funding from individual European and American private donors through the following foundations:

Commercial or industrial sponsorship is accepted only when the scientific programme of each educational event is defined by the Scientific Committee.