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58972-01 - Colloquium: CFA Research Challenge (6 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Annual course, starts in fall semester |
| Lecturers |
Pascal Gantenbein (pascal.gantenbein@unibas.ch)
Christoph Winter (christoph.winter@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The CFA Research Challenge is the world's largest equity research competition for students, with around 1,000 university teams and more than 6,000 students across over 110 local competitions each year. Teams of 3-5 students are assigned one real listed Swiss company. Over the course of the year, students build a full investment case on it through issuing a detailed equity research report with a buy, sell or hold recommendation. Teams then present and defend their findings to a panel of industry experts, and are supported throughout by a faculty advisor and an assigned industry mentor. Local competitions run through the fall and early spring, with the sub-regional, regional and global rounds following in March, April and May. There are prizes at several stages, including a cash award for the winning university at the global final. This is more than just a competition; it is a chance to get feedback from those in the finance industry, gain real-life experience as a (sell-side) equity analyst, and develop teamwork as well as presentation skills. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students will be able to: ● Build a full financial model of a listed company from its annual reports and filings ● Value a company using multiple methods ● Analyse a company's strategic position in its industry ● Identify and quantify the key risks to the investment case ● Assess material ESG factors and integrate them into the financial forecast and valuation ● Write a professional equity research report ● Present and defend an investment recommendation ● Work effectively in a small team |
| Bibliography | Available on ADAM |
| Comments | The internal kickoff meeting will take place on Monday 21.09.2026 in the WWZ. The official kickoff meeting by the CFA Society Switzerland is scheduled for Thursday 01.10.2026 at the Pädagogische Hochschule in Zürich. Further internal meetings and deadlines are still to be set and will be communicated via ADAM. All dates and times listed here are provisional and subject to change. |
| Weblink | CFA Institute Research Challenge |
| Admission requirements | Open to all Bachelor's (recommended from the 3rd semester onwards) and Master's students. No formal prerequisites. Prior knowledge in the following areas are helpful, but NOT a requirement: ● Company valuation ● Financial statement analysis ● Corporate finance fundamentals ● Financial modelling in Excel Above all, students should have the drive to compete and win! *Students who have previously competed in the CFA Research Challenge, are CFA charterholders, and are/were currently/previously employed in a core investment management role are not eligible. |
| Course application | Registration deadline: 28.09.2026 Registration: Please enroll in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch); Eucor-Students and mobility students of other Swiss Universities or the FHNW first have to register at the University of Basel BEFORE the start of the course and receive their login data by post (e-mail address of the University of Basel). Processing time up to a week! Detailed information can be found here: https://www.unibas.ch/de/Studium/Mobilitaet.html After successful registration you can enroll for the course in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch). Applies to everyone: Enrolment = Registration for the course and the exam! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
| Comments |
The internal kickoff meeting will take place on Monday 21.09.2026 in the WWZ. The official kickoff meeting by the CFA Society Switzerland is scheduled for Thursday 01.10.2026 at the Pädagogische Hochschule in Zürich. Further internal meetings and deadlines are still to be set and will be communicated via ADAM. All dates and times listed here are provisional and subject to change. |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 21.09.2026 | 13.00-14.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S14 HG.32 |
| Thursday 01.10.2026 | 12.00-17.00 | Pädagogische Hochschule, Lagerstrasse 2, 8090 Zürich , -- |
| Monday 19.10.2026 | 13.00-15.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Thursday 22.10.2026 | 14.00-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 03.11.2026 | 11.30-12.30 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Thursday 26.11.2026 | 16.30-18.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 16.02.2027 | 12.00-18.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Wednesday 17.02.2027 | 12.00-19.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Modules |
Module: Field Electives in Finance and Money (Master's Studies: Finance and Money) Module: Specific Electives in Finance, Controlling, Banking (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | 3 January 2027 EOD: Written report hand-in (100%). It is also the report entered into the competition. The presentation and the outcome of the competition itself do not affect the university grade. 13 February 2027 EOD: Presentation hand-in (0%). Relevant for the competition only; not graded by the university. *The Challenge runs across two semesters. The 6 CP are therefore credited in FS 2027. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Business and Economics , studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Business and Economics |