MSCA Digital Finance - European Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance

What MSCA Digital Finance - European Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance does

The MSCA Digital Finance - European Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance is an EU-funded research and doctoral training programme operating under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101119635), running from January 2024 to December 2027. It is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Joerg R. Osterrieder through the University of Twente (Netherlands) and Bern Business School (Switzerland), and supports 17 fully funded PhD positions spanning five thematic areas: the European Financial Data Space, AI-driven financial market analysis, explainable and fair AI, blockchain infrastructure, and sustainability/green finance.

The network's core product is a structured doctoral training programme combining core scientific courses, advanced technical modules, transferable skills development, extended industry secondments (typically 18 months), regulatory/policy placements (4 months), and specialized training schools on FinTech, AI in Digital Finance, Sustainable Finance, Digital Finance Regulation, and Multi-Criteria Decision Making. Technology assets under development include explainable AI methods (SHAP, LIME) for financial time series, reinforcement learning models for digital asset markets, ontologies for ethical and trustworthy AI systems, and contributions to blockchain infrastructure — outputs are disseminated via the Responsible AI in Finance blog on Substack, research seminars, and academic conferences.

The business model is grant-based rather than commercial: funding flows from the EU Horizon Europe programme through a single grant agreement, with no product pricing, customer transactions, or commercial GTM. The "customers" are doctoral candidates as primary beneficiaries, served via a consortium of 13 core beneficiaries plus multiple associated partners spanning European universities, financial firms, technology providers, research centers, and policy/governmental agencies across at least 19 countries. The entity is best understood as a public-good research training platform rather than a commercial enterprise, with structural revenue capped at the fixed grant envelope through December 2027.

Name

MSCA Digital Finance - European Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance

Legal name

MSCA Digital Finance - European Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance

Website

https://digital-finance-msca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The MSCA Digital Finance is an EU-funded Industrial Doctoral Network (Horizon Europe MSCA, Grant Agreement No. 101119635) running 2024-2027 that supports 17 fully funded PhD positions at the intersection of finance, data science, and AI, coordinated by University of Twente and Bern Business School across a 13-partner European consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Training and Doctoral Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Computer Training (611420), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Data, Analytics & FinTech Tools (BI, ERP, Automation) (EDABAJAM), Emerging Tech & Specialized Computing (IoT, Edge, AR/VR, Blockchain, HPC) (EDABAFAO), Technical & Digital Skills Training (BPACANAB)

Keywords

• Doctoral research network
• Digital finance research
• AI in finance
• PhD training program
• Financial technology education

Headquarters

HQ city

Enschede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding: Funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) within the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Grant Agreement No. 101119635. The network runs from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2027.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The network operates a fully funded EU Industrial Doctoral Training Programme delivering 17 PhD positions at the intersection of finance, data science, and artificial intelligence. Each doctoral candidate participates in a structured curriculum combining core scientific courses, advanced technical modules, transferable skills development, extended industry secondments (typically 18 months), and regulatory/policy placements (4 months). The network runs specialized training schools on FinTech, AI in Digital Finance, Sustainable Finance, Digital Finance Regulation, Multi-Criteria Decision Making, and an Introduction to AI for Financial Applications, supported by a consortium of 13 core beneficiaries and multiple associated partners across European academia, industry, and the public sector.

Product overview

The MSCA Digital Finance is an EU-funded Industrial Doctoral Network (Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101119635) running from January 2024 to December 2027. It operates as a platform-plus-training architecture centered on 17 fully funded PhD positions, supported by a structured doctoral training programme comprising core scientific courses, transferable skills development, and extended secondments. The network delivers multiple specialized training schools (on FinTech, AI in Digital Finance, Sustainable Finance, Digital Finance Regulation, and Multi-Criteria Decision Making), regular research seminars, and the Responsible AI in Finance blog series. Key thematic research areas include the European Financial Data Space, AI-driven financial market analysis, explainable and fair AI, blockchain infrastructure, and sustainability/green finance. The network brings together 13 core beneficiaries and multiple associated partners from academia, industry, and the public sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSCA Digital Finance Doctoral Training Programme EU-funded Industrial Doctoral Network supporting 17 fully funded PhD positions at the intersection of finance, data science, and artificial intelligence. Features structured training with core scientific courses, advanced technical modules, transferable skills development, and extended secondments in industry settings (typically 18 months) plus regulatory placements (4 months). Targets doctoral candidates, academic institutions, financial companies, technology providers, and policy organizations.
• Individual PhD Research Projects (IRPs) 17 individual doctoral research projects covering key thematic areas including the European Financial Data Space, AI-driven financial market analysis, explainable and fair AI, blockchain infrastructure, and sustainability in green finance. Conducted by individual PhD candidates across the consortium.
• Industrial Doctoral School on FinTech Intensive doctoral training school focused on financial technology topics for PhD candidates in the network.
• AI in Digital Finance Training Training school on artificial intelligence applications in digital finance for doctoral candidates.
• MSCA Training School on Sustainable Finance Training programme on sustainable finance topics for doctoral candidates in the network.
• PhD Training School on Introduction to AI for Financial Applications Introductory AI training for financial applications targeting doctoral candidates in the network.
• PhD Training School on Digital Finance Regulation Training school introducing PhD students to regulatory frameworks governing digital finance, including AI, FinTech, crypto-assets, and algorithmic decision-making in financial services.
• PhD Training School on Multi-Criteria Decision Making in Sustainable Finance Method-focused doctoral training on decision-making techniques for balancing financial, environmental, and social objectives, including MCDM fundamentals, weighting methods (AHP, entropy), ranking methods (TOPSIS, ELECTRE, PROMETHEE), and ESG scoring aggregation.
• Research Seminar Series Regular research seminars featuring doctoral candidates presenting ongoing research on topics such as Explainable AI Methods for Financial Time Series and Reinforcement Learning Applications in Finance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 fully funded PhD positions established
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 13 Core BeneficiariescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Academic institutions, financial companies, technology providers, and policy organizations forming the core consortium. Specific beneficiaries include universities from across Europe.
• University of TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of the MSCA Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance. Home of Prof. Dr. Joerg R. Osterrieder (Coordinator) and hosts the MidTerm Meeting and Technical Training Week in May 2025.
• Bern Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution affiliated with the coordinator Prof. Dr. Joerg R. Osterrieder.
• COST Action CA19130 - Fintech and Artificial Intelligence in FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious collaboration that established the robust interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral framework now expanded with additional partners. Many current partners have successfully worked together in this EU-funded research project.
• Multiple Associated PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional companies and institutions from across Europe associated with the network beyond the 13 core beneficiaries.
• Bern University of Applied Sciences (Business School)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome institution of PhD candidate Jens Reil (IRP16 - Explainable AI for Financial Time Series) and Dr. Branka Hadji-Misheva (WP3).
• University of Naples Federico IIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner hosting MSCA Training School on Sustainable Finance in September 2026. Dr. Maria Iannario is a key researcher involved in WP5.
• Poznań University of Economics and BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner hosting PhD Training School on Introduction to AI for Financial Applications in September 2026.
• Humboldt University BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner home to PhD student Julian Winkel (research on risk premia and pricing kernels in digital asset markets).
• Fraunhofer-InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner hosting PhD Training School on Multi-Criteria Decision Making in Sustainable Finance in October 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany.
• American University of SharjahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of the Fourth International Conference on Mathematics and Statistics (ICMS25) where MSCA DIGITAL researchers participated actively.
• Bifröst UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIcelandic university with researcher Hanna Kristín Skaftadóttir contributing to the network. She is also Program Leader in Business Intelligence.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alan Turing Institute: The UK's national institute for data science and AI, running doctoral training programmes and applied research in finance and the economy. Comparable as a publicly funded research network training PhDs at the intersection of AI and applied domains.
• EIT Digital: A larger, EU-funded digital education and innovation partnership that trains doctoral and master's students across Europe in digital topics including finance. Overlaps in mission (cross-sectoral digital training) but operates at much broader scale and with industry commercialisation focus.

Direct peers

• ELLIS (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems): A pan-European PhD network organisation focused on AI research, with a similar model of distributed academic units training doctoral candidates across European institutions — directly comparable in structure and scale.
• COST Action CA19130 - FinTech and AI in Finance: The direct predecessor programme to MSCA Digital Finance under the same EU research funding family. Many of the same partners and research themes (FinTech, AI in finance) carry over, making it the most closely comparable entity.

Emerging players

• Bocconi University - ICRIOS Centre: Italian academic research centre focused on innovation, FinTech, and the digital economy. Comparable as a university-based research hub producing doctoral-level work in digital finance and adjacent policy areas.
• LUISS Guido Carli University - Digital Finance Research: Italian university conducting doctoral research on digital finance, AI in financial services, and FinTech regulation. Comparable as an academic research group publishing on adjacent themes (responsible AI, sustainable finance) that the MSCA network trains researchers in.

Others

• European Blockchain Partnership: An EU initiative advancing blockchain infrastructure for public services, including financial use cases. Compares as an EU-funded ecosystem initiative addressing one of the MSCA network's research themes (blockchain infrastructure and innovation), but operating as a regulatory/infrastructure programme rather than a doctoral training network.

Regional players

• Frankfurt School of Finance & Management: A German business school hosting applied research and executive training in sustainable finance, FinTech, and AI — overlapping with the MSCA network's training-school offerings (Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Sustainable Finance) but delivered through a single institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digital-finance-msca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about MSCA Digital Finance - European Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance