About the Financial Research Association (FRA)
Our Educational Mission
The Financial Research Association (FRA) is a premier educational organization dedicated to advancing knowledge in finance through rigorous academic research, scholarly exchange, and professional development. Since our founding in 2004, we have remained committed to our core educational mission: to foster intellectual growth, promote innovative financial research, and develop the next generation of finance scholars.
Academic Excellence and Leadership
The FRA is guided by distinguished academic leadership from the world’s most prestigious universities. Our organization is directed by leading finance professors from institutions including Yale University, McGill University, Rice University, MIT, Drexel University, and University of Colorado Boulder. This diverse academic governance ensures that our educational initiatives maintain the highest standards of scholarly excellence.
Our Program Committee comprises over 50 renowned finance scholars from top-tier academic institutions across North America and beyond, including Harvard Business School, Stanford University, MIT, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and numerous other esteemed universities. This extensive academic network allows us to cultivate a rich educational environment that spans institutional boundaries.
Educational Impact and Scholarly Advancement
The FRA’s annual conference is its flagship educational initiative. This conference serves as a forum to foster academic discourse on premier research with a focus on early career academics and Ph.D. students. Our highly selective program (accepting fewer than 3% of submissions) showcases cutting-edge research across finance disciplines, including investments, corporate finance, behavioral finance, banking, financial institutions, and consumer finance. The majority of papers presented at our conferences have subsequently been published in leading academic journals, contributing significantly to the field’s scholarly literature.
Year after year, our conference attracts speakers, discussants, and participants from the world’s most prestigious universities. Our unique conference format, where designated academic discussants present papers rather than authors, creates an exceptional educational environment that encourages constructive open discussion, and it helps foster vibrant intellectual exchange among participants who come from a wide array of academic institutions.
Commitment to Educational Development
The FRA is deeply committed to nurturing emerging scholars and supporting educational advancement in finance. We sponsor:
- The Michael J. Barclay Young Scholar Award for outstanding PhD research
- Travel grants enabling doctoral students to participate in our educational programs
- “Early Ideas” sessions where developing concepts receive constructive academic feedback
Through these initiatives, we actively foster the educational and professional growth of finance’s next generation of researchers and educators.
Collaborative Academic Partnerships
Our educational mission is bolstered by partnerships with prestigious academic institutions and organizations that share our commitment to advancing finance education and research. These collaborations have enabled us to expand our educational impact through joint initiatives such as our dual submission program with the Journal of Financial Economics.
Educational Resource
As an educational resource for the finance community, the FRA provides a vital platform for the exploration of timely and important issues in financial markets using theoretical, empirical, and experimental approaches. By facilitating the exchange of ideas between established and emerging scholars across institutional boundaries, we fulfill our core educational purpose: advancing financial knowledge for the benefit of academia, industry, and society.