From the tech companies in Silicon Valley to the Dutch agrifood sector: innovation is considered the great driver of economic growth. Our researchers combine sound economic theory with the latest econometric models to map the impact of innovation and the effectiveness of policies aimed towards stimulating innovative efforts. 

SEO has many years of experience in carrying out empirical innovation research for governments and businesses. Already in the 1990s we were involved in rolling out the first Community Innovation Survey (CIS) in the Netherlands. This innovation survey is now carried out biannually by various national statistics offices around the globe. We have also been commissioned by various governmental agencies to carry out evaluations of innovation programs, fiscal stimulus schemes, and institutes for applied research and development. Every year, we investigate the state of affairs regarding innovation at hundreds of companies through the Dutch Innovation Monitor, a unique and large-scale investigation into the innovative capabilities of the Dutch business community.

You can count on us for independent research, clear conclusions and useful advice, based on quantitative data as much as possible. We are curious about your innovation question and like to think along with you about the right research approach.

sub expertises

Innovation is often accompanied by positive spillovers to individuals, households, businesses and society as a whole. Government stimulation of innovative efforts is therefore warranted. With our knowledge, expertise and research methods, we show the impact of policies on innovation (policy evaluation), how the effectiveness of policy levers can be increased (policy advice) and how the benefits of such instruments outweigh their costs (cost-benefit analysis).

We can also support the assessment and validation of investment proposals and projects. We test the plausibility of the underlying assumptions and provide well-founded estimates of the expected contributions to economic growth, employment and (broader) welfare. In this way, we help our clients to evaluate and select the most promising investment opportunities.

For companies and organisations in the private sector, innovation is a sine qua non for their profitability and competitiveness. By measuring the economic effects of innovations, we objectify and rationalise the investment choices of our clients. This no longer only concerns the ‘classic’ technological product and process innovations, but also the increasingly important ‘social’ innovations aimed at improving business performance and solving societal issues.

One of our specialisations is measuring customer preferences and willingness to pay for (future) market introductions. This enables us, among other things, to estimate the demand for new products, help determine the profit-maximising price and predict the behavioural responses of consumers and competitors.