FIRST is in close collaboration with the following stakeholders:
Absolut Research GmbH is an independent publishing house and research company for institutional asset management in German-speaking markets. In its publishing arm, Absolut Research launched the first dedicated magazine for sustainability and long-term investing in German language in 2016, Absolut|impact, alongside its flagship publication Absolut|report, which has been published since 2001. In its research department, asset managers are quantitatively analyzed based on their performance with mutual funds – including funds that integrate sustainability and ESG strategies.
The CSP drives research and trains current and future private wealth owners and their support systems to activate private wealth and sustainable finance, at scale, as a substantial driver for sustainable development. The CSP is based in the Department of Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich. Prof. Dr. Timo Busch is a senior fellow at the CSP.
Eurosif is the leading pan-European association promoting Sustainable Finance at European level – encompassing the EU, the wider European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK). Eurosif is a partnership comprised of Europe-based national Sustainable Investment Fora (SIFs). Each of the SIFs has a broad and diverse membership including asset managers, institutional investors, index providers and ESG research & analytics providers with aggregate assets under management (AuM) amounting to over EUR 20 trillion.
The Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (the ‘Alliance’) was founded in 2017 to promote multi-disciplinary academic research on sustainable finance and investment. The Alliance consists of global research universities, each with expertise in this emerging field.
The Alliance aims to: organise the major annual academic conference on sustainable finance and investment internationally; develop academic collaboration between researchers working on sustainable finance and investment; and nurture the growth and development of graduate students and junior academics working on sustainable finance and investment.
ISS ESG solutions enable investors to develop and integrate responsible investing policies and practices, engage on responsible investment issues, and monitor portfolio company practices through screening solutions.
It also provides climate data, analytics, and advisory services to help financial market participants understand, measure, and act on climate-related risks across all asset classes. In addition, ESG solutions cover corporate and country ESG research and ratings enabling its clients to identify material social and environmental risks and opportunities.
Morningstar Sustainalytics is a global leader in ESG and Corporate Governance research and ratings. Over the last 25 years, they have brought together leading ESG research and client servicing professionals. Today, Sustainalytics supports hundreds of the world’s foremost investors who incorporate ESG and corporate governance insights into their investment processes. Its academic program aims to promote responsible investment research as well as meet increasing demand for ESG insights from academia. Through this program, Sustainalytics is offering a range of ESG data to support studies.
The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen is co-chair of the academic network.
The scientific members of the research group are founding members of the Research Platform Sustainable Finance. This project is comprised of several universities and institutes and is funded by Mercator Stiftung.
The Research Platform Sustainable Finance is a network of five German research institutions including DIW Berlin, University of Hamburg, University of Augsburg, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and University of Kassel, that have been conducting intensive research on sustainable finance for many years. The aim of the platform is to provide scientific support in answering key social, political and private sector questions, to provide established and emerging knowledge and to play an advisory role in the political and public discourse, for example by providing input and feedback to the Sustainable Finance Advisory Board of the German Federal Government.
The Verein für Umweltmanagement und Nachhaltigkeit in Finanzinstituten e.V. (VfU) network serves as the primary effort in the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) region to promote sustainability practices in the financial industry. The network, established in 1995, is comprised of more than 40 financial institutions. Prof. Dr. Timo Busch is member of the scientific board.