Innovation at Statistics Netherlands

It is the challenge of statistical offices to use their knowledge and innovation power to the optimal extent in order to remain able to respond pro-actively and in a creative way to these developments. This paper describes how Statistics Netherlands has developed an Innovation programme. A three-stage funnel approach plays a key role in this programme. This approach gives maximum room for bottom-up development of ideas, while its focuses at the same time on maximum contribution to the goals of the organization. The Innovation Lab is an important instrument for the Innovation programme. It offers a suitable environment to support the generation of ideas and test their feasibility.