ZSI provides consulting  services  primarily  to  public  entities.  ZSI  advises  on  policy  planning  and  implementation  of  programmes  and  projects  with  focus  on  social  innovations contributing to solving the grand  challenges facing Europe such as demographic  change,  social  exclusion  and  poverty.  We  also  assist  in  the  development  of  research policies for ministries in Europe and  in world wide networks, offer management  support, provide evidence based analysis in  support  of  decision  making,  and  conduct  monitoring and evaluation procedures.  Advisory activities focus  on  the  following  services:

• ZSI advices on how to best adapt policies to local needs;
• ZSI informs about effective mechanisms for organisations to work together;
• ZSI assists ministries and agencies in different policy fields such as the labour market, social and educational policy, regional development, science and innovation; as well as
• ZSI conducts ex-ante, interim, terminal and ex-post evaluation as well as monitoring.

Since 1 July 2012 ZSI hosts the Austrian Platform Research and Technology Policy Evaluation, consisting of all relevant federal Austrian ministries engaged in science, technology and innovation policy, all major Austrian RTDI funding organisations, and the most important RTDI evaluation providers.