The Institute for Development Cooperation (ICS) is a consortium of local agencies, formed in 1988 under the law 49/87, with the participation of the Province of Alessandria and the towns of Alexandria, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Novi Ligure, and Valencia Ovada.

The ICS is an expression of political will of local authorities to allocate resources to cooperation, intercultural education, the reception of foreign nationals.