When it comes to digitization of the economy, Europe is lagging behind the USA and China. The COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of our societies’ digital needs and dependence but also their capabilities.

As the EU’s bank, the EIB needs to steer digital transformation investments towards where it makes the greatest impact. But how? This is what Sciences Po MPA  students tried to do in the framework of a 2021 capstone project: ”How to measure successful Digital Transformation investments in a simplified manner”.

To complement the EIB’s existing assessment framework, the three students designed a matrix with six impact indicators (access, use, innovation, jobs, inclusiveness and trust) and four aspects of digital transformation (skills, infrastructure, business, government and public services) and applied it to a case study, an existing EIB financed project.

The proposed matrix proved relevant for investors to assess the contribution of a project, helpful for promoters to better structure their proposal and for policy makers to monitor the progress of digital transformation.

Click here for the presentation.

A capstone is a students’ consultancy project: a team of Masters’ students works under the supervision of the EIB Group staff who has proposed the topic. Projects have a resolutely operational approach and enable students to undertake a real-life consulting project on topics relevant to the EIB Group