Innovative Finance Inclusion

The erasmus+ project "IFI - Innovative Finance Inclusion in Academia and Field" develops concepts for a successful eco-system for sustainable finance

Goal and task

IFI Project aims to systematically align the Israeli higher education system with global changes and develop new capacities in the field of "Finance and Economics" for more sustainable business. This will be done on three levels:

Building a living eco-system and infrastructure for sustainable investments
Strengthening the cooperation between science, teaching, and business
Concept development for research, teaching, and training

13 partners from Israel and Europe are jointly shaping the project, based on the premise that a reorientation of society toward greater sustainability must take into account all areas of life, including the financial market. The key lever for initiating such changes lies in the area of education. Therefore, IFI focuses on developing innovative teaching and learning methods and introducing teachers and students to innovative financial market concepts in a practical way.

IFI pursues an interdisciplinary approach: the focus is not only on finance and economics but also on economics in general, law, technology, social sciences, design, and education. IFI sees itself as a platform for the promotion of integrated communities and for the establishment or development of evidence-based standards and methods. For this purpose, a digital knowledge and case study platform will be created. Also, guidelines for training educators, investors, and regulators will be developed. The aim is to gain a better understanding of ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) investments in large parts of society.

The project implementation is based on the following work steps:

Establishment of a "Community of Practice" and a "Body of Knowledge" as a basis for further work
Development of a database for case studies that can serve as best-practice examples in teaching
Development of training and teaching formats for different stakeholders
Development and collection of innovative approaches in the field of Finance and Economics
Monitoring of an ESG fund run by Israeli students

The Center for Social Investment and Innovation (CSI) leads the development of a "Community of Practice" and a "Body of Knowledge" and thus contributes to the development of a common understanding of innovative and sustainable investments. In the course of this work, a survey and interviews were conducted at all partner locations. Heads of universities or companies were interviewed, and the surveys were prepared for students, lecturers, and practitioners.