Keston Economics leverages over two decades of experience in business case development ranging from large-scale regional economic development initiatives to small-scale community event, asset and/or infrastructure developments. Keston Economics employs a range of methods to deliver high quality documents and robust arguments for funding, including extensive research, consultations and application of economic and cost benefit analysis tools.

Keston Economics has been involved with a wide range of government, not for profit and private sector client business case and funding proposal developments targeting a great range of funding agencies, such as Lotterywest, Royalties for Regions, RED Grants, Community Sport and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF), Growing Regions Program (GRP) and previous federal regional development grant streams (BBRF, NSRF, RGS), SportAus, and others). With an 81% success rate in attracting funding across all projects, Keston has secured more than $250 million in grant funding for clients. 

Around the world, there is an increasing interest at all government levels in concepts such as networking, learning regions and clustering as mechanisms for stimulating innovation and growth (both economic and social). Rather than focusing on individual firm-oriented strategies, these cluster or network-based policies recognise the inter-relationships that exist between firms and industry sectors. Substantial benefits can accrue to regions and industries by taking this more holistic view and by developing strategy at this higher level of aggregation.

Similarly, the private sector can benefit from targeted strategic business planning activities that can provide realistic and appropriate actions for growth and change. Keston's business planning activities identify strategic directions based on conservative assessment of critical market factors, which can substantially reduce the risks associated with new business, service or product development.

Keston Economics works with a range of public and private sector clients to develop and implement regional development and business planning strategies, implementing tools such as:

• Cluster analysis
• Weighted criteria options assessment and priority matrices
• Economic modelling and cost benefit analysis
• Forward planning financial viability assessment
• Stakeholder consultation and analysis
• Community and industry surveying
• Funding availability review and access
  

Keston Economics has extensive knowledge and expertise in regional development, stakeholder consultation and analysis, options analysis, forward planning financial assessment, feasibility study and scoping study development.

Our feasibility and scoping work has covered a range of organisational needs and project initiatives, including for sporting groups, local and state governments, community-based organisations and private business. 

Many of Keston's feasibility studies have led to business case development, successful grant funding applications and, ultimately, to project implementation, development and commissioning.

Keston undertakes a broad range of activities aimed at helping first time and existing exporters to internationalise their product/service offerings or operations. Given the company's Anglo-Australian focus, much of this activity has focused on helping UK-based companies to develop trade within Australasia, or Australian companies to develop export markets.

Keston Economics offers a range of services to assist companies to develop overseas markets. Examples of services are as follows:

• SECTOR BRIEFS:  These are general briefs on a particular overseas market sector, generally delivered to a number of companies.
• INDIVIDUAL COMPANY BRIEFS:  These are tailored market briefs for individual companies. They consider the product/service offering of the company and the potential market overseas.
• IN-MARKET ASSISTANCE:  Keston also offers in-market assistance to companies that wish to further assess or enter overseas markets.

Over the last twenty years, Keston has assisted over 75 companies in developing export markets in Australia or Europe.

Keston Economics' directors have extensive experience of the evaluation of projects, from proposal through delivery to impact and program evaluation. This experience spans the life-cycle of project/proposal development through assessment of proposals, to monitoring of live projects on behalf of the funder to evaluation of programs and impact analyses. 

Keston's involvement in proposal evaluation and project monitoring provides additional insight into business case development and funding applications, yielding a robust understanding of public funding body processes, translation of grant guidelines, and ensuring policy and strategic aspirations and grant merit criteria are clearly met.

Keston undertakes evaluation and monitoring activities for a range of government organisations, including the UK’s Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board (TSB)), the European Commission (EC), the Czech Ministry of Education, Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD) and the Government of Western Australia, including:

• The evaluation/assessment of proposals submitted to publicly-funded programs.
• The monitoring and evaluation of publicly-funded projects and programs.
• The development of strategic innovation initiatives.