Promoting behavioural insights

Training courses

Our introductory course is designed for policy officers across all Directorate-Generals who want to or are already applying behavioural insights to their work.

This course is highly interactive and covers common methods, principles, and findings from the behavioural sciences. Of course, it puts particular emphasis on its relevance for policymaking. Participants will learn to identify behavioural aspects of policy problems and apply behaviourally informed solutions through group work, examples, and exercises.

Learn more and sign up:
Introductory Course

For managers and directors, we offer a targeted 90-minute crash course with an interactive training session. This course provides a concise, fact-based introduction to behavioural insights in the context of policymaking.

It emphasises the Better Regulation toolbox published in November 2021. Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the vocabulary, strengths, weaknesses, tools, and timelines essential for adopting a behavioural approach. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to identify opportunities to enhance policy outcomes using behavioural insights.

Learn more and sign up:
Crash course for managers
 

Practitioner networking

The CCBI maintains its own network of behavioural insights champions within the European Commission. In addition, we support the interlinkage between practitioners at various policy levels.

Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy Network

The CCBI is engaged in the Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy Network which brings together policymakers and behavioural science experts from Member States authorities, associated countries, and international organisations to share experience, best practice, and forward-looking discussions.

2026 Workshop Copenhagen

On 21–22 September 2026, the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority hosted the Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy Workshop in Copenhagen, bringing together behavioural insights practitioners from public authorities, ministries, regulatory bodies and international organisations across Europe.

The workshop provided a forum for sharing research, practical experiences and lessons learned from applying behavioural insights to public policy. Through presentations and discussions, participants explored how behavioural evidence can help address policy challenges across a range of areas, including consumer protection, digital environments, energy and the green transition, crisis preparedness, public administration and regulatory design.

A central theme was the translation of behavioural evidence into effective policy and regulation. Participants discussed both the opportunities and practical challenges of conducting behavioural experiments in real-world settings, implementing evidence-based interventions and embedding behavioural insights more systematically into policymaking. 

The workshop concluded with a forward-looking discussion on the future of behaviourally informed policymaking, including how behavioural insights can contribute not only to changing individual behaviour but also to shaping markets, regulatory frameworks and the environments in which people make decisions.

Beyond the presentations, the workshop offered an opportunity to strengthen connections between behavioural insights practitioners across Europe, exchange experiences across policy areas and identify opportunities for future collaboration.

2024 Workshop Brussels

On 23-24 September 2024, the CCBI organised a "Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy" workshop in Brussels.

The workshop gathered policymakers, academics, and practitioners from a range of government bodies and international organisations, to explore the value of applying behavioural science to policymaking. Key discussions addressed behavioural strategies for individual and systemic behaviour change across various domains, including public health, environmental policy, and migration.

Despite the increasing demand for using behavioural evidence in policy, there is awareness that this requires early involvement in the policy process, oftentimes a fruiful collaboration with design (for policy) experts and should not be seen as an easy substitute for more structural/system interventions. The breadth of topics highlighted the critical need for integrating behavioural insights into policy design and implementation, reinforcing the importance of cross-country exchanges among behavioural experts to enhance policy impact.

Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy

This report summarises key insights from the 'Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy' workshop organised by the Competence Centre on Behavioural Insights (CCBI) on 23-24 September 2024, in Brussels. The workshop gathered policymakers, academics, and practitioners from a range of government bodies and international organisations, to explore the value of applying behavioural science to policymaking. Key discussions addressed behavioural strategies for individual and systemic behaviour change across various domains, including public health, environmental policy, and migration. Despite the increasing demand for using behavioural evidence in policy, there is awareness that this requires early involvement in the policy process, oftentimes a fruitful collaboration with design (for policy) experts and should not be seen as an easy substitute for more structural/system interventions. The breadth of topics highlighted the critical need for integrating behavioural insights into policy design and implementation, reinforcing the importance of cross-country exchanges among behavioural experts to enhance policy impact.

JRC139824_01.pdf