Digital Transformation
SNF Grant 174853
“The Next Revolution in the Digital Transformation of the Finance Industry”
Grant Overview
The project is recorded on the Swiss National Science Foundation data portal as grant 174853, funded under the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) scheme for a total approved funding of CHF 120 000, and its status is marked as completed (data.snf.ch, portal.snf.ch, snf.ch).
Project Focus
The project explored the next stage of digital transformation in the finance sector, examining how emerging technologies are reshaping financial services and industry dynamics (data.snf.ch). Its framing placed technology adoption alongside regulatory, commercial, and institutional change, treating the digital transition as a systemic shift rather than a sequence of isolated product launches.
Objectives
The research programme set three primary objectives: to investigate the key drivers behind the digital transition in finance; to assess the impact of new technologies on traditional banking and finance models; and to provide guidance for industry stakeholders, policymakers, and regulators seeking to adapt to digital disruption. Taken together, the objectives span diagnosis (what is driving the change), measurement (how the change affects incumbents), and prescription (how different actors should respond).
Consortium and Roles
The project was coordinated under COST protocols and drew on leading Swiss and European academic institutions, with additional expertise from financial, regulatory, and technology practitioners. Several consortium members were involved in European-wide COST committees and initiatives, which anchored the project in the wider COST research community and supported knowledge transfer across adjacent topics (data.snf.ch).
Timeline and Deliverables
Specific start and end dates are not publicly detailed, though the project followed the common COST duration of roughly two to four years. Expected outputs included peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, workshops, seminars, and stakeholder consultations — the typical delivery mix for a COST-funded research-coordination project. The COST funding model emphasises dissemination and community-building, so the deliverables are partly research products and partly the ongoing network of engagements that the project sustained.
Funding Use and Outcomes
Total confirmed funding of CHF 120 000 supported collaborative events, research coordination, travel grants, and working-group activities over the project’s lifetime. Related initiatives included the continuing-education format of the CAS Big Data course at ZHAW (Neuer Weiterbildungskurs an der ZHAW: CAS Big Data), which extended the project’s research agenda into a structured teaching programme accessible to finance practitioners outside the core consortium (portal.snf.ch, data.snf.ch).
Learn More
For detailed project documentation — including team members, project dates, and final reports — see the official SNF record at SNF Grant 174853.