ERI Scientific Beta, the EDHEC Risk Institute’s offshoot smart beta index provider, has announced the launch of a performance based pricing plan for its indexes, the first of its kind worldwide according to the firm.

The non-profit organisation is offering the new pricing plan as an alternative to traditional fixed fees on AUM levied by smart beta providers.

According to the frim, the offering involves a pure performance fees mandate which investors can opt into from 1 June 2016 if they wish to only pay fees if the index actually outperforms the reference cap-weighted index.

“Our rationale for this mandate offer is that smart beta providers’ claims on the quality and robustness of their strategies should materialise in their live performance,” said Noël Amenc, CEO of ERI Scientific Beta. “ERI Scientific Beta’s initiative is intended to provide consistency between the smart beta provider’s revenues and the quality of its offering.”

In a drive towards transparency, ERI Scientific Beta has also released all the data on its flagship Scientific Beta Multi-Beta Multi-Strategy indices to investors, including each index’s historic composition.

The pricing plan is, according to ERI Scientific Beta, the only offer of its kind in the world, and reflects the organisations confidence in its smart beta indices.

Its flagship Scientific Beta Multi-Beta Multi-Strategy indices have outperformed their cap-weighted equivalents by 4.51% on average since their live date.