Research Challenge

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CFA Institute Research Challenge

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that connects university students with investment professionals from within the CFA Society® network. The competition provides students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and ethics and tests participants' analytical, valuation, reporting writing, and presentation skills.

Members of our society, along with a faculty advisor and an industry mentor, work with teams of students to value a stock, write a research report, and present their recommendations. Teams then compete with peers from other schools at local-level competitions organized and judged by CFA Society members and volunteers. The winning university team(s) from each local competition then advances to see who will become the sub-regional, regional, and global champions. 

Learn more and read FAQs See the schedule and get involved

CFA Institute Research Challenge 2025 

CFA Society Saudi Arabia is thrilled to announce the successful kick-off of this year’s CFA Institute Research Challenge.

This year, our teams will be conducting in-depth equity research on **ADES**, an exciting company in the energy sector. The kick-off meeting has set the stage for what promises to be an insightful and competitive challenge.

We are confident that this year will bring innovative insights, teamwork, and professional growth as our talented students tackle the challenge ahead.

A big thank you to our mentors, sponsors, and new board for their support in making this challenge possible. Best of luck to all teams as they dive into their analysis of ADES, and we look forward to seeing the exceptional work produced this year!

How it Works

Local level competitions are organized and judged by CFA Society® members and volunteers who function as local hosts.

The winning university team from each local competition advances to one of the three regional competitions.

The regional and global competitions are hosted by CFA Institute in the Americas; the Asia Pacific; and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. The winning teams from each regional competition advance to the Global Final, where one team emerges as the global champion.

How to Get Involved

The Research Challenge provides all participants – both individuals and organizations – with incredible opportunities to get involved.

  • Students: Find out if your university participates by asking your professor, our Society, or checking the participating universities list.
  • Universities: Form your team and give students the opportunity to compete against their peers and gain real-world experience.
  • Employers: Become a judge, mentor, grader, speaker, or corporate sponsor.