Dear Students,

The Ajay Upadhyaya Centre for Financial Markets Education and Research (CFM), BITS Pilani, is inviting submissions for the first cycle of the CFM Incentivised Financial Research Program (IFRP).

If you are an FD/HD (excluding PhD) student and have completed a Study-Oriented / Lab-Oriented / Design-Oriented Project (SOP/LOP/DOP) / Course Project  OR FDTS / HDTS during Semester I, AY 2025–26 in finance (with special focus on financial markets), we strongly encourage you to submit your work. The program aims to recognise high-quality student research and build a repository of rigorous work in finance at BITS Pilani. Selected submissions will be evaluated by a select faculty panel, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their work at a paper presentation session. Outstanding submissions will receive recognition and cash awards as follows

1. Best Paper - Cash award of Rs. 10,000
2. Best Thesis (FDTS / HDTS) - Cash award of Rs. 10,000

Submissions must be made through the form below: Submission Form. The submission deadline is 31st March, 2026. 
Detailed templates and submission guidelines are available here: IFRP Templates

Important Notes

1. Only projects completed under the domain of Finance will be considered.
2. Projects completed under faculty from departments other than Economics & Finance will also be considered, provided the work is clearly relevant to the domain of finance
3. For group projects, only one member should submit (ensure all co-authors are listed)
4. Submissions with well-documented code and reproducible workflows are strongly encouraged
5. Independent projects/projects completed in any semester other than Semester I, AY 25-26 will not be considered

For any queries, please write to Ishwar Sarda: f20230736@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in | 7030924204

We look forward to your submissions.

Warm regards,
Ajay Upadhyaya Centre for Financial Markets Education and Research (CFM)