A constant challenge for regulators is the need to make decisions in contexts of uncertainty – for example, uncertainty about what new innovations will emerge and how they should be regulated, uncertainty about what ethical issues new innovations raise and uncertainty around how regulators can adopt new ways of working. Often, these uncertainties cannot be satisfactorily resolved through traditional approaches to information-gathering such as reviewing existing research and public consultations. 

Experimentation provides a way for regulators to reduce uncertainty and to inform regulatory decision-making in these circumstances. 

In support of the Centre for Regulatory Innovation’s mandate to facilitate regulatory experimentation, the Regulators’ Experimentation Toolkit was developed to provide regulators with a practical guide to identify, design, and carry out regulatory experiments. This toolkit was commissioned by the Centre for Regulatory Innovation (located in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat) and developed by Nesta and Nesta Challenges  in collaboration with Science Practice.