On March 28, 2023, the on-site defense of the "Mingshi Cup" Statistical Modeling Competition was successfully held at the School of Statistics and Management of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, marking a successful conclusion to the competition.
This competition is hosted by the School of Statistics and Management at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, co-organized with the Statistical Research Society of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and supported by the Communist Youth League of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. The sponsor of the competition—Shanghai Mingstone Private Fund Management Co., Ltd.—is an authoritative private institution in the domestic quantitative investment industry. The company has established its own supercomputing cluster, artificial intelligence laboratory, and EGS research center to empower quantitative investment. Mingstone Investment signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in 2022, and both parties are committed to deep cooperation in areas such as finance, academia, research, and application, jointly building projects like the "Shanghai Finance Mingstone Mathematical Finance Laboratory" and the "Financial Investment Logic and Algorithm Talent Cultivation Base," promoting comprehensive cooperation in think tank construction, talent training and selection, and faculty development. This competition is an exploration of talent cultivation and selection within this cooperation framework.
The "Mingshi Cup" Statistical Modeling Competition at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics was launched in November 2022, with 22 teams participating. After an initial screening by the organizers, 8 teams were selected to enter the on-site defense presentation stage. The defense session invited Mr. Wang Jing, Deputy General of Mingshi Fund, Ms. Gu Ping, Manager of the Human Resources Department, as well as Professor Huang Mian, Associate Professor Liu Xin, and Associate Professor Zhao Hongbiao from the School of Statistics and Management at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, to serve as expert judges. Each group of students conducted a quality analysis of the ESG reports of listed companies based on text mining techniques, designing effective quantitative evaluation indicators using the report texts currently disclosed by listed companies. They presented their models and analytical considerations on how to measure the effective information content in the texts, the diversity degree of effective information, and more.
The competition ultimately awarded 1 first prize, 2 second prizes, 3 third prizes, and 2 merit awards.
The successful hosting of this competition has inspired students to propose quantitative solutions to practical issues in finance, economics, and other areas. This has led to an exploration of the enthusiasm for solving real-world problems through techniques such as statistics, mathematics, and computer programming, becoming a strong attempt by companies to cultivate talent in a targeted manner. It has achieved a win-win cooperation where companies discover talent, students hone their skills, and schools experience growth.
