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.
PEEP is proud to be trusted by major international and national institutions. Our work has been supported by and in partnership with: the European Commission, including various Directorates-General and programmes; Instituto Camões, the Portuguese government’s international development agency; United Nations agencies (such as UNIDO and others); the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT); the U.S. Government (through initiatives funded by U.S. departments and embassies); as well as private foundations and corporate partners. This broad support reflects the credibility we have built as a go-to platform for piloting and evaluating high-impact projects.
In line with our forward-looking strategy, PEEP has supported the development of Idea Innovation (Idea-i) (www.ideainnovation.eu) – a strategic spin-off company focused on AI-enabled educational technology. Idea Innovation’s mission is to “revolutionise the way people learn and teach by leveraging AI technology,” bringing cutting-edge AI-assisted education tools to schools, NGOs, and training centres. By personalising learning and improving student engagement through AI, Idea-i helps scale innovation in education and skills development. It offers solutions like AI-driven tutoring chatbots, intelligent content recommendation, and adaptive learning platforms that make education more effective and accessible. This spin-off amplifies PEEP’s impact by translating our policy insights into practical technological solutions – ensuring that the innovations we champion in policy are supported by the latest digital tools. (For example, Idea Innovation is working on AI tools that personalise entrepreneurship education, complementing PEEP’s entrepreneurship programmes). With Idea Innovation, PEEP is not only influencing policy on the ground but also equipping learners and educators with the technology to succeed in a digital age.
PEEP’s team is comprised of passionate professionals from around the world. We are policy analysts, evaluation experts, educators, and capacity-building trainers with advanced degrees and decades of experience. Our team members have backgrounds in government, academics, international development, and the private sector. What unites us is a commitment to making a difference: we share a common drive to support evidence-based change that improves lives. We operate with the professionalism of a consultancy but the heart of a non-profit – meaning we care deeply about our mission and our partners.
Impact, Integrity, Innovation: These three words summarise PEEP’s ethos. We strive for impact – real-world improvements that are measurable and significant. We uphold integrity – in our methods (rigour, transparency) and in our relationships (trust, ethics). And we embrace innovation – always seeking better solutions and encouraging creative thinking. As an organisation, we see ourselves as a platform where bold ideas in policy are tested and refined to become proven strategies that anyone can adopt. We are excited by challenges and undaunted by complexity, because we have seen that with the right experimentation and evaluation, even the toughest problems can yield to effective interventions.
Prof. Dana T. Redford is President of the Policy Experimentation & Evaluation Platform (PEEP) and Senior Fellow at the Institute of European Studies, University of California, Berkeley. He is an internationally recognised expert on entrepreneurship, innovation, and AI-enabled education. Dana has advised the European Commission, the U.S. Government, the OECD, the UN and governments across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also serves as a Private Sector Finance Specialist and Master Trainer for UNDP and UNIDO, and sits on the Advisory Board of the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative. Author of several books on entrepreneurial universities, high-impact entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, Dana combines academic research with hands-on policy and programme development to support education reform and economic growth globally.
Luis Vaz is a PEEP co-founder and Vice President. As project manager, he has supervised three programmes funded by the European Commission and EEA Grants related to entrepreneurship education, female entrepreneurship, and an impact study of entrepreneurship curricula for the UN. Luis has more than 30 years of experience in finance management in international organisations and is an expert in entrepreneurship promotion as well as a certified facilitator and coach.
Teresa Paiva is Professor of Management and Marketing at the Instituto Politécnico da Guarda (IPG) in Portugal and has been a member of the senior expert team at PEEP since 2015. Teresa specialises in strategic management, business development and consumer behaviour and has contributed to a wealth of publications in these domains. Teresa remains active as a coach and mentor in entrepreneurship and business creation and was founder of the IPG Trends Academy and Business Incubator, as well as being active in a range of national and European-funded development projects in her specialist field.
Dr. John Edwards is an experienced researcher and policy advisor in the fields of innovation, education and regional development. He is currently Secretary General of EURASHE – European Association for Applied Science in Higher Education. Between 2011 and 2020 John helped to set up and manage the Smart Specialisation Platform at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. John has worked extensively across Europe and internationally and, prior to his role at the JRC, was engaged in the academic, public and private sectors, predominantly from a policy perspective. John holds degrees from the University of St Andrews, the College of Europe in Bruges, and Newcastle University, where he completed his PhD in regional governance.
Paul Guest has worked in national and European developments in the fields of education and training for much of the last 30 years, including a five-year period working in Brussels to support implementation of the European Commission’s higher education and vocational training programmes. Paul continues to support innovative developments in education and training, participating in a wide variety of actions and developments that reach across all four priority areas of the Education and Training 2020 policy framework, meeting the needs of a variety of clients including the European Commission, Scottish Government and a broad range of education, training and funding authorities across Europe and internationally.
Dr. Tiago Proença dos Santos is a Medical Doctor working as a neuropediatrician at Hospital de Santa Maria, one of the largest research institutions in Portugal. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Lisbon, where he lectures graduate and undergraduate courses in biochemistry and paediatrics. Dr. Proença dos Santos is also a Member of Infarmed, the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Regulatory Institute, and has training in health management, pharmaceutical regulation and specialised research. His primary research interests are neurodevelopment, movement disorders, and education for children with special needs. He also works as Clinical Director in several private clinics in Lisbon and is increasingly focused on AI-enabled solutions in healthcare and education, bridging clinical practice and technological innovation.
Rui Levy is an experienced consultant in private sector development and entrepreneurship with more than 20 years of experience in Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Portugal. An economist with a postgraduate degree in quality management, Rui coordinated UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) programmes in Cape Verde for over a decade. He has been deeply involved in shaping the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, serving as founder and first President of the Young Entrepreneur Association (AJEC), creator of the first business incubator in Cape Verde, promoter of the Global Entrepreneurship Week, and founding member and President of the Cape Verde Business Angels Association (ABAC).
