WHAT WE DO
The EU Policy Lab is a collaborative and experimental space for innovative policy-making.
It is both a physical space and a way of working that combines
FORESIGHT
BEHAVIOURAL INSIGHTS
DESIGN THINKING
to explore, connect and find solutions for better policies.
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ANNE-KATRIN BOCK
EMANUELE CIRIOLO
JOANA SOUSA LOURENCO
RENÉ VAN BAVEL
SUSANA NASCIMENTO
ALEXANDRE PÓLVORA
LUCIA VESNIC-ALUJEVIC
ALESSANDRO RANCATI
EMANUELE CUCCILLATO
LAURENT BONTOUX
PAULETTE MATKOVIC RAMIREZ
TINE VAN CRIEKINGE
MACIEJ KRZYSZTOFOWICZ
ALICE SZCZEPANIKOVA
FABIANA SCAPOLO
MONIKA ANTAL
SARA ALMEIDA
XAVIER TROUSSARD
ECKHARD STOERMER
CHRISTIAN SVANFELDT
IOANA PROFIR
JOHANNA TRIEB
SARA GIOVANNINI
FRANçOIS DESSART
ELISABETA FLORESCU
By accessing diverse areas of knowledge, we strive to co-create, test and prototype ideas to address complex social problems and to enable collective change. The Lab invites policy-makers to explore scenarios, connect issues and find solutions for better policies, acting as a facilitator and providing a safe-space for open interactions. It delivers insights and works side by side with the services and agencies of the European Institutions, international bodies, public organisations, universities and research centres. The Lab’s main fields of practice are foresight, behavioural insights and design-thinking. The lab setting facilitates collaboration between policy-makers and society.
Foresight explores long-term futures and creates shared visions for policy-making.
Behavioural Insights result from multidisciplinary research in fields such as economics, psychology and neuroscience, to understand how humans behave and make decisions in everyday life.
Design thinking deploys people- and solution-centred processes to help stakeholders to innovate.
PROJECTS
We serve all Commission's Directorates and focus on the creation of bridges and synergies. A transparent, proactive and participatory approach guarantees a positive contribution by all the participating parties.
- All
- Completed
- Ongoing
FTA2018 – Future in the making 
Future of government 
Service design for better stakeholder consultation 
The future of migration in Europe 
#Blockchain4EU: Blockchain for Industrial Transformations 
Lab Connections 
Systematic behavioural support for European Commission services 
Behavioural insights applied to policy in Europe 
Foresight knowledge management tool 
Knowledge sharing for better implementation of EU Regional Policy 
Sustainable food system 
A vision for the EU “Sharing Economy” 
Future of industries
BLOG
A collection of news, notes, reflection on our workshops or events we attended.
12 Jul 2018Integration in the context of diversity: discussing new developments and future challenges
The high inflow of refugees and migrants to Europe in 2015 and 2016 put a renewed policy focus on integration, and it also revived the question "integration into what?" considering growing diversity in European societies. What are new developments and emerging issues related to integration and diversity and what will be upcoming challenges in the mid-term future? Representatives from local and regional authorities, civil society, the European Commission and researchers gathered in an expert session
14 Jun 2018Support to policy conception – platform to business relations
Throughout 2017 the EU Policy Lab provided support to the Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) and Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) in the analytical work that led to preparing a policy proposal on improving business relationships between online platforms (such as e-commerce or app stores, social media) and those who offer products and services through them (i.e. platforms' business users). As the research and development work
2 Jun 2018Industrial Landscape Generator
The Industrial Landscape Generator is a participatory method developed by the JRC on the basis of its foresight work. It has been developed on demand from services of the European Commission to produce practical recommendations for action in the context of industrial policy. It has been applied to diverse industrial sectors. The tool takes a long-term perspective (vision) and generates recommendations for all relevant stakeholders, especially policy makers and the selected industrial sectors themselves, for
1 Jun 2018Complex System Analyzer
The Complex System Analyser is a participatory tool that was developed by the JRC together with a range of experts. Its purpose is to decompose and analyse any complex system so as identify the key leverage points on which to act if one wants to influence this system. It was developed to analyse the food chain in the context of food security. What the Complex System Analyzer provides The Complex System Analyser is a participatory
31 May 2018Megatrends Implications Assessment
The "Megatrends Implications Assessment" is a workshop tool on anticipatory thinking and foresight for policy makers developed by the JRC together with experts in Foresight from Future Impacts. It uses visual and facilitation techniques to structure a 360 degree review of political questions in an engaging way. What the Megatrends Implications Assessment provides The Megatrends workshop offers a short, easily accessible, very understandable, attractive workshop format on the basis of the FOR-KNOW megatrends that
30 May 2018Scenario Exploration System (SES)
The 'Scenario Exploration System' (SES) is an award winning future simulation tool developed by the JRC together with experts in serious games from the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies. It uses engagement techniques from the entertainment world to engage participants in the full richness of the systemic collective reflection created when building scenarios. What the SES provides The SES provides a platform that engages participants in future-oriented systemic thinking. It makes participants take action
28 May 2018FuturGov meets WITI Innovation Lab project in Speyer
At the WITI kick-off symposium, Eckhard Stoermer hosted a foresight and design thinking workshop on the future of government, to disseminate the dialogue about possible future transformation of the relationship between citizens and government until 2030+. The project Knowledge and Ideas Transfer for Innovation in Public Administration (Wissens- und Ideentransfer für Innovation in der Verwaltung / WITI) held its kick-off symposium on 17th May in Speyer. WITI wants to build a policy lab at the
7 May 2018#Blockchain4EU – Final Event Registration + Agenda NOW ONLINE!
The Final Event of #Blockchain4EU will take place on May 24 2018 at the European Commission headquarters, Berlaymont Building (Schuman Room) in Brussels. This event will gather policy makers, Blockchain stakeholders and others interested in the development or uptake of Blockchain and other Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) for non-financial / industry sectors. Livestream of the event will be available through the Joint Research Centre's EU Science Hub webpage. Registration is mandatory to enter the Berlaymont building. Furthermore, there
25 Apr 2018SAVE THE DATE! Final Event of #Blockchain4EU – May 24 2018, Brussels
The final event of the project #Blockchain4EU: Blockchain for Industrial Transformations will take place on May 24 2018 at the Berlaymont (Schuman Room), Brussels. We will gather Blockchain communities and other stakeholders interested in the development or uptake of Blockchain and other Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs), counting also with the presence of high level policymakers as Lowri Evans, DG GROW’s Director-General, and Vladimir Šucha, DG JRC’s Director-General. Throughout a full-day with multiple sessions, our main
13 Apr 2018How to design the future of government?
EU Policy Lab collaborates with six top design schools How might the relationships between citizens and government transform by 2030 and beyond? What does this mean for the role, structure and tasks of the government? The Future of Government 2030+ project ran citizen workshops to discuss future expectations of citizens and their relationship to the government. To enable creative speculations and out of the box thinking on possible alternative models of government, the EU Policy
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