CEE PERSPECTIVE STUDENT CHALLENGE 2027

From Savings to Scale: Can the EU’s Savings and Investments Union Close CEE’s Investment Gap?

The CEE region faces a persistent investment gap, despite significant household and institutional savings. This year’s theme invites participants to explore whether the EU’s Savings and Investments Union (SIU) can help bridge this gap by improving how savings are mobilised and channelled towards companies, innovation and productive investment. We invite participants to examine whether deeper capital-market integration can strengthen access to finance and help CEE markets attract and retain investment.

The CEE Perspective Student Challenge is an annual initiative dedicated to nurturing rigorous academic and strategic analysis among students across Europe. Its primary objective is to engage participants with the complexities of European financial regulation and the dynamic market transformation occurring within Central and Eastern Europe.

Participants are invited to examine the SIU and its potential impact on savings, investment and corporate financing in the CEE region, while considering the role of banks, capital markets, institutional investors and households. The challenge encourages participants to assess the opportunities and risks of greater financial integration and present innovative, evidence-based insights into how CEE can better mobilise capital for growth and investment.

Select one CEE market, or a clearly defined group of CEE markets, and examine whether and how the Savings and Investments Union can help address its investment gap. The core objective is not to summarise the SIU or related EU policy initiatives, but to analyse how greater financial integration could influence savings behaviour, financing structures, investment flows and corporate access to capital in practice.

Key Questions to Explore

• How could the SIU affect the reliance of CEE companies on bank-based financing and expand access to capital-market funding?

• Could greater integration help smaller CEE markets attract and retain investment, or lead to further concentration of capital in larger European financial centres?

• What unintended consequences could greater cross-border investment create, and what complementary national measures could help ensure that the benefits reach the broader CEE economy?

• Which companies are best positioned to benefit from deeper capital markets, and could SMEs, scale-ups and early-stage firms also gain?

• How might demographics, pension systems, household savings and investment behaviour affect the development of a stronger domestic investor base?

• What role do trust, financial literacy, investment culture and access to suitable products play in mobilising savings?

Analytical Approaches

Qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods approaches are welcome, including case studies, comparative analysis and original datasets.

Choose one of the formats

Research Paper

6,000–8,500 words

• Introduction and contextual profile of the selected market(s)

• Analytical focus on the Savings and Investments Union

• Methodological description

• Evidence-based analysis of market(s) and corporate responses

• Findings, limitations and implications

Strategic Project Proposal

Slide deck (maximum 25 pages) + executive memo (1–2 pages)

• Clear articulation of market problem or opportunity

• Link to the Savings and Investments Union and relevant EU measures

• Proposed strategic response for a defined business segment

• Expected effects on competitiveness, transparency or innovation

• Implementation pathway and possible risks

Who Can Apply

• Open to Bachelor, Master and PhD students

• Enrolled at a recognised university in any CEE country at time of submission

• All academic backgrounds eligible

• Demonstrated interest in financial regulation, EU integration, economics, digitalisation, sustainability or business strategy is advantageous

How We Will Evaluate Your Work

• Analytical depth and conceptual clarity

• Coherence and structure of argumentation

• Accuracy and credibility of evidence

• Relevance to the selected CEE market context and its financing context

• Contribution to understanding how EU capital-market integration can support, or fail to support, local investment, competitiveness and growth

Deadline: 31 March 2027

Required materials:

• The complete submission (research paper or strategic project proposal) in PDF format

• A one-page abstract outlining the purpose, scope and key findings

• A signed declaration of authorship, confirming original and individual work