Scientific and Expertise Committee

The Scientific and Expertise Committee ensures the methodological robustness and scientific integrity of the Sustainable Finance Observatory’s work. It plays a central role in safeguarding the quality, transparency and credibility of the Observatory’s research outputs, while maintaining their relevance for financial sector practitioners and public authorities.

The Committee is composed of an academic college and a practitioners’ college, bringing together experts from major research institutions and public and private financial organisations. This dual composition allows the Committee to combine scientific rigor with operational relevance, ensuring that methodologies are both theoretically sound and applicable to real-world financial practices.

The SEC is systematically involved in the Observatory’s work through structured methodological consultations and dedicated validation committees set up for each study. These committees intervene at key stages of the research process, notably at the launch of a study and prior to publication. Members review proposed methodologies, assess their alignment with existing academic literature and regulatory frameworks and contribute to the definition or refinement of indicators, analytical frameworks and, where relevant, target values. 

Beyond methodological review, the Committee has a quality control role and may raise alerts if a publication does not meet sufficient standards of scientific rigor. In such cases, recommendations are formally transmitted to the Observatory’s governance, along with clear pathways for methodological improvement. The Observatory’s teams then implement the necessary revisions under the supervision of the scientific referent and the General Management.

Through this structured and transparent process, the Scientific and Expertise Committee contributes to the credibility, reproducibility and impact of the Observatory’s programs and publications, including major initiatives such as the Net-Zero Donut, regulatory data analyses and tools for monitoring financial institutions’ sustainability commitments