Policy experimentation in research and innovation

What is policy experimentation?

Policy experimentation is a structured and evidence-driven approach that enables policymakers to test, refine, and improve policy interventions before implementing them on a large scale. This process reduces uncertainty and allows for better decision-making.

Policy experiments can take different forms depending on their objective:

• Mechanism experiments focus on understanding the underlying assumptions of a problem, testing the drivers of observed behaviours, and identifying the mechanisms that influence policy outcomes.
• Exploratory experiments assess the feasibility of new policy solutions, exploring their potential benefits, unintended consequences, and conditions for success.
• Optimization experiments aim to improve the delivery process of an intervention, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in its implementation.
• Evaluation experiments measure the impact of a policy intervention, or different variations of an intervention, on outcomes to determine what works, for whom, and under what conditions.

A key characteristic of policy experimentation is its structured learning process. Experiments are intentionally designed to generate insights, incorporating methodologies such as A/B testing, rapid cycle evaluations, human-centred design, and mixed-methods approaches. Randomised Controlled Trials offer a powerful tool for testing causal assumptions in policy interventions and to allow policymakers to confidently determine effectiveness and understand the mechanisms driving outcomes. Despite their potential, Randomised Controlled Trialss have been underutilised in policy, particularly in the fields of research and innovation. This is caused by a number of reasons such as the need for upfront planning, perceived cost, complexity, and lack of awareness. 

In the context of European research and innovation policy, policy experimentation plays a crucial role in advancing transformative innovation, supporting systemic change, and fostering a culture of evidence-based decision-making. By testing interventions in real-world settings, policymakers can build confidence in scaling successful initiatives while avoiding costly failures.

What the Commission is doing

Policy experimentation in research and innovation

Policy Experimentation is a project launched by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation to pave the way to integrate policy experimentation into EU research and innovation policy-making. The project will support the inclusion of more experimentation actions funded by current and successive framework programmes.

To promote the use of policy experimentation in research and innovation policy, the project will:

• Consult evidence on enablers and barriers to policy experimentation to help achieve a better experimentation approach
• Use policy experimentation within EU Missions to explore the best ways to achieve goals through citizen engagement. The experiments will be conducted in partnership with key stakeholders for 2 specific EU Missions:
  • 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030
  • A Soil Deal for Europe: 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition
• Promoting policy experimentation across Europe by raising awareness and building capacity through information campaigns and a training module for EU Commission policy officers, EU countries and other stakeholders. A consortium led by Nesta together with the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) will carry out the project activities. The project will be led by two of their centres, the Innovation Growth Lab (IGL), at Nesta and BSE, and the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design(CCID) at Nesta.

The project will provide practical application of policy experimentation methods to shed light on how to best ensure citizen engagement in EU Missions, by

• Conducting a survey to elicit citizens’ preferences concerning how to be engaged in the implementation of the EU Missions’ objectives.
• Setting up policy experiments to test promising interventions to increase citizens’ engagement in EU Missions.

Preparatory action for the creation of a European Community of Practice for policy experimentation 

The Preparatory Action for the Creation of a European Community of Practice (CoP) on Policy Experimentation launched by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation in 2025 is an ongoing initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration among policymakers across Europe to develop, test, and scale innovative policy approaches in research and innovation. 

This initiative has the following objectives:

• Map key stakeholders to identify individuals and organisations active in policy experimentation
• Analyse existing policy experimentation approaches to identify best practices
•  Assess the feasibility of establishing a structured platform for knowledge-sharing and collaboration

Through stakeholder engagement, surveys, and policy experiments, the initiative will generate evidence on the benefits, challenges, and enabling conditions for policy experimentation. The findings will contribute to policy recommendations and a governance framework for a potential CoP, ensuring that European policymakers have the necessary tools, knowledge, and networks to integrate experimental approaches into decision-making effectively.