A new milestone: science and practice in harmony

With its integration into the University of Zurich in 2009, CUREM took an important step towards raising the quality of real estate management training to an even higher level. UZH was the first university in Switzerland to offer a Master of Advance Studies in Real Estate. To this day, the program brings together the most renowned experts from Switzerland and abroad as lecturers. The Center is now looking forward to the next phase of its development: with the new professorships, CUREM is building a bridge between excellent research and practice-relevant further education. This is an important moment for CUREM and the entire Swiss real estate industry.

New impetus for research: Prof. Dr. Christian Hilber and Dr. Francisco Amaral

The newly created professorships will be held by two outstanding academics, both of whom have in-depth expertise and international recognition in their fields. The professorships are based at CUREM and the Department of Finance at the UZH Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics.

Prof. Dr. Christian Hilber (pictured above right), who is taking up a part-time professorship ad personam (20%) at the University of Zurich, is an internationally renowned real estate economist and Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics (LSE). His research focuses on housing supply and urban development, topics that are also highly relevant in Switzerland. “It is a particular pleasure for me to be able to contribute my experience in Zurich. Switzerland is facing major challenges in the area of housing policy, and I am convinced that together we can develop solutions that are both economically and socially sustainable,” says Prof. Hilber. In addition to his academic work, Prof. Hilber has extensive consulting experience for governments and international organizations such as the OECD and the Asian Development Bank.

Dr. Francisco Amaral (pictured above left) will join the University of Zurich as Assistant Professor (100%) in October 2024, bringing with him extensive expertise at the interface between financial and real estate economics. His research focuses on the question of how risk and return develop on the housing markets under different macroeconomic conditions. “In Switzerland, as in many Western countries, the housing market plays a central role in the financial stability and well-being of society. In order to develop effective and sustainable measures to make the housing market more resilient and affordable, it is important to understand which factors influence the risks and returns in this market,” says Dr. Amaral, who completed his doctorate at the University of Bonn.

Support from strong practice partners

These important academic positions were created thanks to donations from three leading companies in the real estate industry: EBP, UBS and Wüest Partner. The motivations of the three funding partners show how important building bridges between academia and practice is for the further development of the real estate sector.

"We are committed to sustainable development. Accordingly, it is particularly important to us to create innovative and viable solutions for the challenges in the real estate sector and spatial development. In addition, the two professorships make it possible to build a bridge between science and practice and to further strengthen the training of qualified specialists. “

Matthias Thoma, CEO EBP

"We want to play an active role in shaping change and the further development of the real estate sector. Through our partnership with CUREM, we are investing in the future of the real estate industry by supporting research and teaching at the highest level. In this way, we ensure that the next generation of professionals is well equipped to meet the complex challenges and opportunities of this important sector. “

Dr. Daniel Brüllmann, Leiter Real Estate DACH, UBS Asset Management

"As experts in real estate valuation and consulting, we know how crucial sound knowledge is. We are interested in how real estate valuation methods will develop in the future and how strongly certain factors influence the development of real estate prices and rents. The new professorships are a strong signal that CUREM is a place where scientific excellence and practical relevance go hand in hand. "

Dr. Robert Weinert, Partner, Wüest Partner AG

Zürich as a center for excellence in the real estate industry

The two professorships form the foundation for the further development of CUREM into a comprehensive center of excellence at UZH, which will be realized from the beginning of 2025. The future center of excellence will establish CUREM as a leading institution for real estate research and teaching in Switzerland and internationally. It will focus on four central areas: the promotion of research and knowledge transfer, cooperation with national and international partners, the further development of real estate management training courses and the transfer of knowledge in undergraduate teaching.

...learn more about CUREM - Center for Urban & Real Estate Management at the University of Zurich?

The Center for Urban & Real Estate Management (CUREM) offers practice-oriented continuing education, in-depth research and valuable networking opportunities in the real estate industry. Further information and the current range of continuing education courses can be found on the website of CUREM.