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Welcome to the FRI

The Financial Research Institute (FRI) was established in 1988 at the University of Missouri to promote education, research and service across various areas of finance. Today, through its public utility division, the FRI provides a neutral environment for stakeholders in regulated public utility industries to come together to examine, understand, and debate current issues relating to public utility policy.

The FRI Public Utility Symposium, held in the fall, examines issues that impact consumers, industry, and regulators. Held on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, MO, this one-day symposium brings together regulators and commission staff, legislators, utility managers, policy analysts, attorneys, consumer advocates and academics. The FRI Advanced Pricing Seminar, held in late spring, brings together a range of industry experts to discuss issues around industry innovation, dynamics, and pricing in the electric industry. We also host a series of Hot Topic Hotline webinars throughout the year.

The FRI is housed within and under the academic leadership of the University’s Division of Applied Social Sciences. Working in cooperation with MU Extension, the FRI shares in the University’s mission of engagement and economic development. Learn more about FRI, our staff, and programs from the About FRI page.

Advanced Seminar on Transformational Pricing & Rate Design

FRI’s 2025 Advanced Seminar on Transformational Utility Pricing and Rate Design will be held April 7-9 on the University of Missouri campus.

 

The Advanced Seminar offers an in-depth analysis of evolving electricity and natural gas rate making. Building upon NARUC’s Rate School, this 3-day program examines advanced cost allocation and pricing strategies within the context of current industry trends, including load growth from data centers, electrification, distributed energy, and emerging sectors. Participants will explore rate design strategies promoting affordability, grid integration, load flexibility, energy efficiency, and economic development.

 

Designed for commissioners, commission staff, and experienced professionals in the regulatory space, the program offers opportunity to learn from established industry experts as well as through group discussion and small group break outs.

 

Learn More and Register Now!

Save the Dates for 2025!

Don’t miss out on FRI programs in 2025! Mark these dates on your calendar!

 

  • The Regulated Utilities Leadership Institute (RULI) will be held on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia June 2-5. This program is designed for regulatory and industry personnel newer to the regulated utility space or not directly involved in regulatory affairs. This will also mark the first year for FRI’s Utility Policy Fellows program, which will bring four early-career scholars to participate in RULI alongside industry participants. Registration will begin in mid-March.
  • Our 34th Annual Public Utility Symposium will be held September 17, 2025. This program brings utility and regulatory leaders from across the country to address current issues and challenges. Registration will begin in June. Stay tuned for details on the conference theme and location.

FRI Public Utility Fellows Program

FRI is now accepting applications for its 2025 Public Utility Fellows program. Funded by support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this fellowship offers early-career energy economics scholars an opportunity to become part of a national network of scholars engaging with industry and regulators to conduct policy-relevant research.

 

Scholars will participate in a week-long workshop June 2-6 in conjunction with FRI’s RULI program, developing a network of industry and regulatory connections and learning about industry issues, data opportunities, and research methods. Fellows will then work on their own original research over the course of the next year, with cohort and mentoring check-ins with FRI researchers, in anticipation of an academic conference presentation and distribution of a policy white paper based on their research study.

 

For more information about the program and application details, click on the button to the right. Applications will be accepted through Friday, February 28.

Learn More and Apply!

FRI Spotlight

Aug. 21, 2024

WUTC’s Ann Rendahl Joins FRI Advisory Board

FRI is pleased to welcome Commissioner Ann Rendahl of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to our Advisory Board. Ann Rendahl was first appointed to serve as a commissioner of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission in December 2014 for a six-year term that ended Jan. 1, 2021. Ann has been reappointed and confirmed to a second six-year term ending Jan. 1, 2027. Ann serves as the Second Vice President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, or NARUC, and serves as a member of the Committees on Electricity and Critical Infrastructure, prior chair of the Committee on…

Dec. 16, 2024

FRI Receives Sloan Foundation Grant

The Financial Research Institute (FRI) at the University of Missouri is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to connect early-career energy economics researchers with energy industry practitioners through FRI’s Regulated Utilities Leadership Institute (RULI). This three-year grant will allow FRI to recruit four early-career energy economics scholars each year to be FRI Utility Policy Fellows. Selected Fellows will participate in a week-long research workshop in conjunction with FRI’s regular RULI program. In addition to sessions focused on public utility economics, data sources,…

Feb. 10, 2025

EEI’s Nethercutt Joins FRI Advisory Board

FRI is pleased to welcome Elliott Nethercutt, Senior Director of State Regulatory Affairs at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) to the FRI Advisory Board. In his current role, Elliott guides EEI’s members on advocacy, policy positions, and initiatives related to the energy transition, resource adequacy, resilience, rate design, and other industry issues. Elliott has over 10 years of policy and regulatory experience in the energy sector. His career has engaged him in several topics of importance, including performance-based ratemaking, advanced market design, and the development of reliability assessments. Prior to EEI, his career has included meaningful stints with NARUC,…