On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Frank Grimberg represented the FHNW School of Business at the IIAS Next Gen @EFK – After-work event with impulses from science, held in Bern.

The three-hour event, hosted by the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) brought together more than 30 participants, including Chief Audit Executives (CAEs), auditors, and students, to exchange ideas with researchers and practitioners in the fields of internal audit, corporate governance, and risk management. Discussions focused on the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in internal auditing, corporate governance, and risk-based auditing.

FHNW Contributions

Two former Business Information Technology (BIT) students from FHNW, Dominik Gasser and Dorian Popic, presented their Bachelor’s thesis research during the event. Frank Grimberg introduced their presentations and took part in the post-presentation Q&A session.

Dominik Gasser, BSc. BIT, FHNW Olten
Title: Continuing Education: Ein Konzept für eine Schweizer Ausbildung in der Internen Revision
Highlights:
Dominik emphasized the urgent need for academic master’s programs in internal auditing in Switzerland. He presented innovative solutions inspired by educational models in the Netherlands and Germany, highlighting opportunities to strengthen professional education in the field.

Dorian Popic, BSc BIT, FHNW Olten
Title: How do we trust AI? A Qualitative Analysis On Aspects Influencing The Perceived Trustworthiness Of AI
Highlights:
Dorian’s research explored factors that enhance trust in AI tools and underlined the importance of a user-centered, socio-technical approach to designing trustworthy AI systems.

About the IIA Switzerland Scientific Advisory Board network

The  IIA Switzerland Scientific Advisory Board network aims to connect young professionals, students, and academics with practitioners in internal audit. It promotes peer networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration between science, academia, and practice, fostering valuable professional and experiential learning opportunities.

The IIAS ERFA Next Gen objectives are:

• Networking and maintaining contacts with young auditors.
• Sharing experiences and adventures as young professionals
• Professional exchange on current topics and issues to promote innovation and new perspectives in internal audit.
• To derive recommendations for action for the IIAS and practitioners to better understand and address the needs of young professionals in internal audit.

Event Highlights

Moderator and Speakers:

• Eric-Serge Jeannet, Deputy Director of the SFAO and Board Member, IIA Switzerland – Introduction to IIA Switzerland & Objectives of the Scientific Advisory Board
• Claudia Rutz, Board Member, ERFA IIAS Next Gen – Current Topics of IIAS Next Gen
• Frank Grimberg, Lecturer at FHNW – Presentation Introductions and Q&A Panelist

Panel Presentations and Discussions:

• Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis presentations by four students on topics related to internal audit, risk management, compliance, and IT.
• Group discussions on the latest developments in corporate governance, risk-based audit planning, and the impact of AI on internal audit.