The Policy Experimentation & Evaluation Platform (PEEP) is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to improving public policy through evidence. Founded in 2010 in Lisbon, Portugal, PEEP is accredited as a Non-Governmental Development Organisation (ONG-D) by the Portuguese government. This accreditation underscores our commitment to development impact and high standards of governance. We operate globally with a mission to support evidence-based policymaking in education, research, and innovation, with a special focus on guiding the twin transitions toward a green and digital future. In short, we help turn innovative ideas into effective policies by testing what works and ensuring quality at every step.
At PEEP, we believe better policies make a better world – and better policies are built on evidence, experimentation, and inclusion. Our guiding principle, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” reflects our belief in data-driven decision making. We value innovation, rigour, and collaboration. This means we are innovative – always exploring new approaches to societal challenges; evidence-driven – collecting data and feedback to refine solutions; and collaborative – working hand-in-hand with stakeholders at all levels from local communities to international agencies. Ultimately, our goal is to bridge the gap between good policy ideas and real-world impact by providing the knowledge and capacity needed to implement what works.
We design pilot and field trials to test new policy interventions on a small scale, in real contexts. By experimenting first, we can identify successful approaches and lessons learned before policies are rolled out broadly. This method has been applied in past projects like YouthStart, which used a randomised control trial in schools to measure impact.
Our team engages in applied R&D, often in collaboration with universities and think tanks. We contribute to research on education innovation, entrepreneurship ecosystems, and sustainable development. PEEP’s leadership has published books and research (e.g. on high-impact entrepreneurship in Africa), ensuring our work is informed by the latest insights and contributes back to global knowledge.
As evaluation specialists, we conduct rigorous impact studies for programmes and policies. We use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess outcomes, ensure accountability, and inform decision-making. Our evaluations provide the evidence base that helps scale effective initiatives and improve or discontinue those that do not deliver results.
PEEP provides quality assurance services in educational and social innovation projects – establishing frameworks to monitor progress and quality indicators. We often serve as external quality auditors or advisors on large multi-country projects, making sure implementation stays on track and objectives are met with high standards.
We empower the people who implement and benefit from policies. Through tailored training programmes, workshops, and coaching, PEEP builds local capacity – be it training teachers on new curricula, strengthening entrepreneurship trainers, or upskilling NGO staff on evaluation techniques. For example, in the ProFishBlue initiative PEEP acted as UNIDO Master Trainer, building the capacity of business support institutions and entrepreneurs across six African countries.
By design, PEEP works across borders. We have led and partnered in projects funded by the European Commission, collaborated with UN agencies, and supported programmes backed by the U.S. Government, among others. Our network spans Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia – enabling South-South and North-South cooperation. We understand how to adapt solutions to different cultural and policy contexts and excel at managing multi-country consortia.