COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL

Their core work

Copenhagen Business School is a leading European business university that researches the intersection of economics, policy, and society — with particular depth in taxation systems, corporate governance, and the societal impacts of digital transformation. Their H2020 portfolio reveals a school that bridges social science theory with applied research on how markets, institutions, and technologies reshape economic behavior. CBS brings strong capabilities in experimental economics, behavioral analysis, data science, and policy evaluation, making them a valuable partner for projects needing rigorous socioeconomic analysis alongside technical innovation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2018, CBS concentrated heavily on taxation research — tax compliance, fiscal fraud, cross-cultural tax morale experiments, and EU fiscal policy coordination (FairTax, COFFERS, ChEATAX). From 2019 onward, the focus shifted markedly toward corporate responsibility, circular economy, digital transformation, and societal challenges including food systems, cultural tourism, and rare disease screening. This broadening suggests CBS moved from a narrow fiscal policy niche toward applied, interdisciplinary research on how businesses and societies navigate sustainability and digital transitions.

CBS is increasingly positioning itself at the intersection of business ethics, circular economy governance, and digital society — expect future projects combining corporate accountability with sustainability metrics and data-driven policy tools.

How they like to work

CBS balances leadership and partnership nearly equally, coordinating 15 projects and participating in 18 — unusual for a university, which typically skews toward participation. With 445 unique consortium partners across 53 countries, they operate as a well-connected hub rather than a loyal-to-few-partners institution. This breadth signals an organization comfortable assembling diverse consortia and contributing social science expertise across varied technical domains.

CBS has collaborated with 445 unique partners across 53 countries, making it one of the most broadly networked business schools in H2020. Their reach extends well beyond Scandinavia and Western Europe into a genuinely global collaboration footprint.

What sets them apart

Unlike technical universities, CBS brings rigorous social science and economic analysis to EU research consortia — they answer the "so what does this mean for markets, policy, and people?" question that purely technical projects often struggle with. Their rare combination of experimental economics, corporate governance research, and applied sustainability work makes them a natural fit for any consortium needing socioeconomic impact assessment, behavioral analysis, or governance framework design. Few business schools match their coordination track record (15 projects led) or their breadth across sectors.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AlgoFinance
  Largest single grant (EUR 1.59M) as coordinator, investigating how algorithmic trading reshapes financial markets — a high-impact topic bridging finance, technology, and regulation.
• REFLOW
  CBS coordinated this EUR 1.27M circular economy project across European cities, demonstrating their ability to lead applied urban sustainability research beyond traditional business school territory.
• COFFERS
  Major participation (EUR 1.1M) in combating fiscal fraud — their largest participant-role project, reflecting CBS's deep expertise in taxation and regulatory policy.