IFF-HSG Institute for Public Economics, Financial Law and Law and Economics

What IFF-HSG Institute for Public Economics, Financial Law and Law and Economics does

The IFF-HSG Institute for Public Economics, Financial Law and Law and Economics is an academic research and continuing education institute operating under the University of St.Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, founded in 1966. The institute organizes its work around six formalized research focus areas: Tax Law, Sustainability & Reporting, Public Policy, Tax & Trade Policy, Corporate Governance, and Law in the Digital Economy. It employs over 90 researchers and academic staff (with headcount stated in the 51–100 employee band) and is headquartered in Saint Gallen. Its service portfolio spans academic research, the Forum for Tax Law publication, the Competence Center for Criminal Law and Criminology (SK-HSG), and executive education programs including Board Essentials and the International Board Program.

The institute's commercial activity is centered on event-based and program-based continuing education. It hosts over 1,000 seminar participants annually, charging seminar and conference fees alongside executive education tuition. Its core customer segment consists of practicing lawyers, tax advisors, and corporate board members across Switzerland and the broader European region. Distribution is primarily regional, anchored in the Swiss and German-speaking European market, with outreach via publications, conferences, and structured executive programs rather than digital platforms.

The business model is academic and not venture-backed: revenue flows through tuition and fees rather than subscriptions, licensing, or external funding rounds. As a unit within a public university, growth is constrained by faculty hiring cycles, grant allocation, and continuing education demand rather than capital deployment. No disclosed revenue, headcount trajectory, M&A, or funding activity is available, which limits quantitative benchmarking but indicates a stable, institutionally-embedded operating posture.

Name

IFF-HSG Institute for Public Economics, Financial Law and Law and Economics

Legal name

Institut für Law und Economics (ILE-HSG), Universität St.Gallen

Website

https://iff.unisg.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The IFF-HSG is an academic institute at the University of St.Gallen conducting research and delivering continuing education in tax law, corporate governance, public policy, and digital economy law to legal and tax professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research and Professional Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAF

Law & Legal Studies Research Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAHAAAI

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Public Research Universities

Keywords

• Academic research institute
• Professional continuing education
• Tax law research
• Corporate governance training
• Law and economics studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Sankt Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Seminar and Conference Fees: The institute generates revenue through professional continuing education seminars, conferences, and training programs for tax, corporate governance, and legal professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

ILE-HSG is an academic research institute at the University of St.Gallen that conducts interdisciplinary research and delivers continuing professional education at the interface of law and economics. The institute operates six research focus areas (Tax Law, Sustainability & Reporting, Public Policy, Tax & Trade Policy, Corporate Governance, and Law in the Digital Economy) and supplements its research with expert-led seminars, the Forum for Tax Law publication platform, executive board education programs (Board Essentials and International Board Program), and the Competence Center for Criminal Law and Criminology (SK-HSG).

Product overview

ILE-HSG is an academic institute at the University of St.Gallen offering a portfolio of research focus areas and continuing education programs. The institute operates as a research department organized into six focus areas: Tax Law, Sustainability & Reporting, Public Policy, Tax & Trade Policy, Corporate Governance, and Law in the Digital Economy. It supplements its research with the Forum for Tax Law publication platform, executive Board Education programs (Board Essentials and International Board Program), and the Competence Center for Criminal Law and Criminology (SK-HSG). The institute also maintains a project portfolio including Swiss Trade Monitor, Aviation and Taxation research, and Digital Policy Leadership Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Essentials
• International Board Program
• Forum for Tax Law
• Competence Center for Criminal Law and Criminology (SK-HSG)
• Continuing Education Seminars and Conferences

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of St.Gallen (HSG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILE-HSG is an integral department of the University of St.Gallen, operating within its institutional framework and benefiting from university resources, accreditation, and network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• London School of Economics (LSE): LSE is a globally recognized research university specializing in social sciences, law, and economics, with significant executive education in law, tax, and governance, mirroring ILE-HSG's interdisciplinary research and continuing education model.
• University of Lausanne: University of Lausanne is a Swiss French-language public university with research and teaching in law and economics, representing a comparable Swiss academic peer serving overlapping professional audiences.
• IMD Lausanne: IMD is a Swiss-based executive education provider focused on business leadership and corporate governance programs, directly comparable to ILE-HSG's Board Essentials and International Board Program offerings.
• University of Bern: University of Bern is a Swiss public research university with a Faculty of Law conducting research and teaching in tax law and public policy, directly comparable to ILE-HSG's research focus areas.
• Bocconi University: Bocconi is a leading European private research university with a strong law and economics focus and a significant executive education program, directly comparable to ILE-HSG's research scope and continuing education model.
• WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business): WU Vienna is one of Europe's largest business universities with strong law-and-economics research and executive education programs, serving a comparable DACH-region professional audience for tax, governance, and policy seminars.
• University of Basel: University of Basel is a Swiss public research university with law and economics departments, comparable to ILE-HSG as a competing Swiss higher education and research institution in the same geography.
• University of Zurich: University of Zurich is one of Switzerland's largest public research universities with a major Faculty of Law, operating tax, governance, and public policy research centers that overlap with ILE-HSG's focus areas.

Broad incumbents

• ETH Zurich: ETH Zurich is a leading Swiss public research university. While primarily STEM-focused, it competes with HSG for talent and public funding and operates executive education programs, making it a broad institutional peer to ILE-HSG's parent.
• EPFL Lausanne: EPFL is a leading Swiss public research university and a peer to the University of St.Gallen as a top Swiss higher education institution competing for talent, funding, and reputation, even though its research focus is technical rather than legal-economic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFF-HSG Institute for Public Economics, Financial Law and Law and Economics