Colonial First State (CFS) is partnering with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in a bid to better understand how Australians engage with their superannuation and wealth.

Colonial First State (CFS) is partnering with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in a bid to better understand how Australians engage with their superannuation and wealth.

The agreement sees both parties explore a framework of mutually beneficial programs and activities which include collaborative research projects, an industry doctorate program, HDR/PhD student projects (such as student internships), Capstone projects, training and development, contract research, and other opportunities.

UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT dean, Professor Ian Burnett, said the partnership will help the university drive “excellence and innovation” through industry engagement.

“The UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT has always had a strong focus on collaborative research with the aim of putting the best research tools into the hands of practitioners,” he said.

“The work Colonial First State is doing with our Advanced Analytics Institute puts that goal into action.”

According to CFS, one of the first collaborative outcomes will be a set of predictive and prescriptive models to help the company understand which customers are more likely to “redeem their investment” in the near future.

CFS claims the models will allow them to observe a variety of relationship patterns between investors, employers, financial planners, and competitors, as well as achieve “more accurate predictions” than traditional approaches.

CFS’ executive general manager, Linda Elkins, said the partnership was important for talent development and will also build on the insights CFS delivers to financial advisers about their business models and processes.

“[We] can collaborate to develop the most talented digital and analytics people who will provide core critical thinking, and practical insights about our business and advisers’ businesses,” Elkins said.

“The relationship between CFS and UTS really broadens the potential for delivering more and deeper insights in the future.”