The Swiss Financial Innovation Desk (FIND) today announces FIND’s article on the topic "Academia-Industry Collaboration (AIC) in Finance: Models of Success." The report, analyzes the state of AIC in the Swiss financial sector, identifying key success factors, challenges and actionable recommendations to strengthen AIC and related knowledge and technology transfer.
Switzerland is consistently ranked as a global innovation leader, a position largely driven by its robust research and development (R&D) ecosystem, with AIC playing a crucial role. However, recent data has revealed a decline in R&D-performing companies both in Switzerland and abroad. This, FIND’s Workshop Academia + Industry + Innosuisse among others inspired FIND to conduct a non-exhaustive study on the financial sector.
Based on 15 qualitative interviews with academic and financial industry professionals, the study highlights the importance of shared values, mutual trust and clear communication as critical success factors for effective collaborations. The report also addresses significant challenges, including mindset gaps between the fast-paced industry and academia's longer research cycles, as well as complex funding landscapes, organizational misalignment and the transformation of the competitive environment.
To address these issues, the report proposes several actionable recommendations, including:
Encouraging the financial industry to increase transparency in R&D spending.
Developing unified national guidelines for start-ups, spin-offs, and intellectual property.
Raise awareness of innovation shifts and encourage stakeholders to actively engage in the policy process that regulatory bodies can adopt policies to support, not hinder progress.
Public funding programs should strategically allocate resources to areas where Switzerland has a competitive edge.
Fostering collaboration between universities to prevent the duplication of efforts and enhance international visibility.
Establishing a national technology transfer office to streamline processes and improve Switzerland's international standing in R&D projects.
This research aims to initiate a broader discussion and provide a roadmap for stakeholders to foster a more resilient and innovative financial ecosystem.
The full report is available on the FIND website here and below.