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About Scientific Climate Indices
SciX builds climate equity indices grounded in science and disciplined financial risk management
Our Story
Scientific Climate Indices, or SciX, is a European climate index provider created within the EDHEC ecosystem to help long-term institutional investors integrate climate considerations into core equity portfolios.
SciX was built on a simple conviction: climate risks are becoming financially material, but integrating them into portfolios requires more than broad ESG scores or standardized climate benchmarks. Investors need methodologies that distinguish clearly between climate objectives while remaining compatible with the financial constraints that allow investment strategies to be maintained over time.
SciX brings together climate science, climate-risk data, quantitative risk management and index engineering to translate these objectives into transparent, investable equity indices. Our ambition is to help institutional investors move from broad climate intentions to concrete, measurable and durable investment solutions.
SciX was built on a simple conviction: climate risks are becoming financially material, but integrating them into portfolios requires more than broad ESG scores or standardized climate benchmarks. Investors need methodologies that distinguish clearly between climate objectives while remaining compatible with the financial constraints that allow investment strategies to be maintained over time.
SciX brings together climate science, climate-risk data, quantitative risk management and index engineering to translate these objectives into transparent, investable equity indices. Our ambition is to help institutional investors move from broad climate intentions to concrete, measurable and durable investment solutions.
Our Principles
Scientific Rigor
Use the best available climate research while remaining realistic about uncertainty, data limitations and the risk of false precision...
Transparency
State clearly what each index seeks to achieve, the assumptions and constraints behind it, and what it does not claim to achieve...
Financial Discipline
Make the trade-offs between climate objectives and financial constraints visible, measurable and manageable...
A long-standing investment research heritage
EDHEC has a long history of translating academic research into practical solutions for institutional investors. The EDHEC-Risk Institute established a strong foundation in portfolio construction, factor investing and financial risk management, while ventures including Scientific Beta and Scientific Infra demonstrated how research could be transformed into investment products, benchmarks and data solutions.
SciX builds on this heritage of combining rigorous research with the practical requirements of institutional investment. Financial risk management remains central to its approach: climate objectives must be incorporated without losing control of diversification, benchmark deviation and the other portfolio constraints that determine whether an investment strategy can be maintained over time
SciX builds on this heritage of combining rigorous research with the practical requirements of institutional investment. Financial risk management remains central to its approach: climate objectives must be incorporated without losing control of diversification, benchmark deviation and the other portfolio constraints that determine whether an investment strategy can be maintained over time
Climate extends this research-to-implementation model into a new field. The EDHEC climate ecosystem combines climate science, finance and risk-management expertise, and climate-risk data, providing complementary foundations for understanding how climate can affect economic and financial outcomes.
SciX sits at the investment implementation end of this ecosystem. Its role is to qualify the climate research and data that can be used robustly in portfolio construction and combine them with financial risk management, live analytics and index engineering. This creates a chain from climate science and data through to the design, testing and maintenance of institutional equity indices.
Executive Leadership
Benjamin Herzog is the Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Climate Indices (SciX, an EDHEC Venture), where he leads the development of innovative fintech solutions aimed at transforming institutional investment decision-making. He has been with EDHEC since 2019, first as Director of Scientific Portfolio and briefly as Director with Scientific Beta, where he drove strategic partnerships and business development. Prior to that, he spent over 13 years at Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking (SCIB), where he advanced from quantitative research to index structuring, ultimately serving as Head of Equity Quantitative Investment Strategies, developing and promoting systematic equity indices and smart beta strategies to institutional investors worldwide. Benjamin holds a Master of Science in Computer Science with a focus on Al from Columbia University and a postgraduate degree in Financial Engineering (El Karoui) from Pierre and Marie
Curie University.
Shahyar Safaee is a capital markets professional with two decades of experience across quantitative research, trading, fund management, structuring, and business development. He is currently Deputy CEO and Business Development Director at Scientific Climate Indices (SciX, an EDHEC venture), where he leads strategy, partnerships, and commercial efforts. Before joining EDHEC’s ecosystem, he spent about 18 years at J.P. Morgan in London, Paris, and New York, holding senior roles in equities, derivatives, and financing, following earlier work in financial risk management at PwC. Trained as a financial engineer, Shahyar studied at the École des Mines de Saint-Etienne and earned a Master’s in Quantitative Finance from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. He also contributes to research and thought leadership in investment management, coauthoring publications on retirement investing, portfolio allocation, sustainable finance, and real estate investment funds.
EDHEC’s Ecosystem
Scientific Climate Indices…..
2026
Scientific Climate Indices, or SciX, is launched as the index-construction platform within the EDHEC climate ecosystem, translating climate science, climate-risk data and financial risk management into institutional equity indices.
PEI Group / Scientific Infra & Private Assets
2026
PEI Group acquires Scientific Infra & Private Assets (SIPA), extending the reach of its private-market indices, benchmarks, ratings and analytics.
Scientific Climate Ratings….
2025
Scientific Climate Ratings is launched from EDHEC’s climate-finance research ecosystem to quantify the financial materiality of climate risks
EDHEC Climate Institute….
2025
EDHEC Climate Institute (ECI) is established, building on the legacy of the EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute and consolidating EDHEC’s climate-related research activities, with expertise spanning physical and transition risks, climate scenarios, technologies and climate policy.
Scientific Portfolio……………
2024
Scientific Portfolio is launched as an EDHEC venture providing institutional investors with portfolio analytics, risk management and portfolio-construction technology.
EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute
2022
EDHEC-Risk Institute becomes the EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute, marking a strategic shift toward climate finance.
Singapore Stock Exchange…
2020
The Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) takes a majority stake in Scientific Beta alongside EDHEC.
EDHEC Infrastructure Institute
2016
EDHEC-Risk Institute launches the EDHEC Infrastructure Institute, establishing a dedicated research programme for private infrastructure investment.
Scientific Beta…………………..
2012
EDHEC-Risk Institute launches Scientific Beta to bring its research on equity factor investing and smart beta indices to market.
EDHEC Business School……
2001
EDHEC Business School creates the EDHEC Risk and Asset Management Research Centre, later renamed EDHEC-Risk Institute.
Discuss Your Climate Index Requirements with SciX
Explore SciX Core indices or discuss a customized climate-index specification for your portfolio or client solution.
Contact SciX to discuss climate objectives, benchmark constraints, index design and disciplined customization.
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