Capstones are student consultancy projects in which teams of four to six Master’s students works on topics chosen and supervised by an EIB Group staff.
Below is a list of all capstones undertaken by the EIB Group.
Private equity investment in Sub-Saharan AfricaTo strengthen private equity (PE) investment in sub-Saharan Africa it is necessary to create a PE support fund, to facilitate knowledge sharing, to set up PE education programme and to support its regional expansion according to the findings of the second capstone project carried out by Masters’ students of Esade (Barcelona, Spain) presented in June 2023.
German regional rail transport: between hope and failureResults of the first capstone project carried out by Master’s students from TU Dresden on “German regional rail transport: between hope and failure” were presented in April 2023.
The increase in energy prices has mixed impact on SMEsThe unprecedented rise in energy prices due to the war in Ukraine has had a large but heterogenous effect on European SMEs according to a capstone project on ” The impact of energy prices on SME investment and profitability” led by LSE Masters students coordinated by the European Investment fund (EIF) and presented at the EIB in March 2023.
- When AI helps predict markets moves
How to help the EIB have more accurate market expectations using Text mining and Machine Learning? This was the topic of the first capstone research project with Esade Barcelona students under the mentorship of the Financial Risk Department of the EIB.
- How to build a European Greentech Ecosystem
Supporting Greentech clusters and building a more conducive investment environment are the policy measures needed to develop Greentech in the EU according to a capstone project led by LSE Masters students coordinated by the European Investment fund (EIF) and presented at the EIB on 24 March 2022.
How to measure successful digital transformation investments?When it comes to digitization of the economy, Europe is lagging behind the USA and China. As the EU’s bank, the EIB needs to steer digital transformation investments towards where it makes the greatest impact. SciencesPo MPA students offer solutions in a 2021 capstone project: ”How to measure successful Digital Transformation investments in a simplified manner”.
- How to make a volunteering programme successful
Management support, a matching gifts programme and a network of coordinators are the key pillars of a successful volunteering corporate programme according to Sciences Po Masters students in the framework of a capstone project.
- Estimating the future needs of European SMEs
How to estimate the future financing needs of European SMEs was the question asked by the EIF to LSE Master’s students in the framework of a capstone project, the results of which were presented to the EIB Group in March 2021.
Financial Instruments: an innovative way to use European FundsMaster’s students from Bocconi University analyse how Financial Instruments support investments (loans, guarantees, equity and other risk-bearing mechanisms) and identify how to increase their efficiency and effectiveness.
- Impact investing in Europe
The EIB Group is uniquely positioned to strengthen the impact investing sector in Europe according to a study, Impact investing in Europe, carried out by Sciences Po master’s students as part of a capstone project with the Institute’s Social Programme and the EIF.