CFA Institute Research Challenge 2024/2025 in Switzerland

We are delighted to officially launch the 2024/2025 season of the CFA Institute Research Challenge in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Since it is the 16th season, most of you have already participated during the last few years, and we are delighted to welcome you again. We also welcome all other universities and universities of applied sciences in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

This educational initiative is an annual competition between teams of students in preparing an investment case consisting of a detailed research report and a presentation of a listed Swiss company. For the upcoming competition, as usual, we will announce the name of the subject company at the beginning of the autumn semester. We have indeed again secured a very interesting Swiss company, this time in the industrials sector, which with its CFO agreed to support the challenge and will additionally organize a factory visit for delegates of students.

Students will be supported by industry mentors and will present their results in front of a panel of senior investment professionals. The challenge provides students with a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the investment world, hone their soft skills, and interact intensively with senior investment professionals and CFA charterholders as well as sponsors and the media partner.

In setting up the challenge, the CFA Society Switzerland is trying to promote best practices in equity research and company analysis. CFA Society Switzerland is a member society of the CFA Institute, the largest global association of investment professionals with more than 200’000 members and more than 160+ member societies. CFA Institute awards the CFA Charter, the CIPM designation, the Certificate in ESG Investing as well as the Certificate in Data Science for Investment Professionals. In Switzerland, the society has more than 3'500 investment professionals as members and is the second largest in Europe.

Updates from CFA Institute

The rules of the CFA Institute Research Challenge are unchanged compared to last year.

Important dates

4 October 2024 (afternoon): Kick-off event at the University of Zurich
17 October 2024 (morning): Factory visit at the subject company’s headquarters
22 October 2024 (morning): Webinar with industry specialist
23 October 2024 (13:00–14:00): Webinar with KPMG, Valuation Services (Johannes Post, CPA and team)
5 November 2024 (12:00–13:00): ESG webinar with Raffaella Semedo, 2Xideas
18 November 2024 (11:00–13:00): Conference Call with the CFO of the subject company
2 January 2025 (midnight CET): Report hand-in
8 February 2025 (midnight CET): Presentation hand-in
12 February 2025 (afternoon): Semifinal at University of Zurich
13 February 2025 (afternoon): Final and Award Ceremony at the University of Zurich