Annual Report 2023 of the Cologne Research Centre for Reinsurance

The reinsurance sector continues to face significant challenges. In 2023, in addition to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the damage caused by natural disasters, the sector was also influenced by the energy crisis and inflation. The Cologne Research Centre for Reinsurance analyses the latest developments in the reinsurance market and, where appropriate, monitors these through research pro-jects. In the process, the Research Centre for Reinsurance links its research activities with practices in the reinsurance sector. Hereby, and facilitated through organisation of the annual Cologne Reinsurance Symposium and the Annual Meeting of the Spon-soring Group Reinsurance, a bi-directional transfer of knowledge between theory and practice is pursued. The content of these two scientific events, as well as the completed research projects, are incorporated into teaching at the Institute of Insurance Studies, rounding out prac-tice-oriented training in the field of reinsurance. There are eight researchers and three professors currently on the staff of the Cologne Research Centre for Reinsurance. All material and personnel costs are fully financed by third-party funds provided by the Sponsoring Group Reinsurance [Förderkreis Rück-versicherung]. This funding helped facilitate the doctorate of Mr Frank Cremer, among other things. In addition, Prof. Dr. Jan-Phillip Schmidt is supervising the doctoral stud-ies of Mr Phillip Sampson. The financial support to the non-profit organisation ‘Hilfe für Guinea e.V.’, which was approved at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Sponsoring Group Reinsurance in 2021, was continued in 2023. With its annual donation to this project, the Cologne Research Centre for Reinsurance meets the criterion of ‘social commitment’ as required for an official research focus. The donation benefits the La Lumière Scolaire project. This project finances the construction and operation of schools for the children of disabled and homeless people in Guinea. The Cologne Research Centre for Reinsurance is accredited as an official research focus of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.