We believe the best research comes from a tight loop between academia and practice. Pick the track that fits you.
Support our research and related events, benefit from executive roundtables across Europe.
Companies don't just want answers to our questions — they have their own. Share the question you're wrestling with and, if it fits the FDF agenda, we co-design a survey module or a field study with one of our partner universities.
Short brief: the question, why it matters to you, and how a better answer would change what you do.
The consortium assesses fit, proposes an approach — survey module, interviews, field study, executive workshop — and matches you to a lead partner university.
The output is shared back with you first, then published as part of the International Report or as an academic paper. Your data stays confidential.
Receive the annual questionnaire, contribute your view in 10 minutes, and get the International Report before it's public. Open to CFOs, finance directors, controllers and senior finance managers.
Get in contact with our team to book an expert from academia or related colleagues with practice background. Our speakers cover topics such as finance transformation, AI in finance, ESG controlling, performance management and more.
Yes. All survey responses are anonymous. No individual company is identified in the published report or in academic papers. For field studies, we sign an NDA and agree in writing what can and cannot be shared.
FDF publishes the International Report openly, for anyone to download. Sponsors receive early access and, where agreed, a named association with a specific piece of work. Academic papers remain the authors' IP and are published in peer-reviewed journals.
Sponsorship covers event costs (venue, catering, travel), production of the International Report, translation and fielding support, and doctoral research assistance. It does not fund faculty salaries — partners contribute their time pro bono.
Yes, though narrow industry-specific questions typically fit a field study (Track B) rather than the annual survey. We can scope a bilateral project with the most relevant partner university.
Our panel spans a wide range of company sizes, from firms under €10m in revenue to multinationals over €15bn. In order to secure an appropriate knowledge of the respondents participants should normally have >3 years experience in the finance function, the entity has a total staff of at least 50 full-time equivalent employees and the Finance function of the organization has at least 5 FTE.