Call for Papers at OpenLivingLab Days 2024
Deadline: 30th May, 23.59h CEST*
*Accepted contributions will be published in the Conference Proceedings of Open Living Lab Days 2024 with an ISBN number. By submitting your paper, you are hereby authorizing ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs) to publish your paper in the Open Living Lab Days 2024 Conference Proceedings which will be part of the Research Track of the Open Living Lab Days. Selected top papers can be invited to submit a reworked version of their contribution to a special issue of Sustainability.
Are you a researcher or a practitioner and do you want to share your experience?
The European Network of Living Labs invites you to send a contribution to work on the theme of:
LIVING LABS FRONTIERS: Driving systemic change through Soci(et)al Engagement, for real impact.
If you have a great case study, a piece of research or ongoing project you want to share with the Living Lab community, then we encourage you to submit a paper or proposal for an innovation presentation to the conference. This call is aimed at practitioners, researchers, (PhD-)students as well as members of public authorities. Do not hesitate to participate and exchange ideas ad experiences with your peers!
You can submit papers in 3 distinct categories to encourage a diverse participation of actors and content:
- Full research papers
- Research-in-progress papers
- Innovation presentation outline
The call encourages contributions related to the following topics:
- Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges
- Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems
- Living Labs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement
- Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology
- Living Labs Operations, Methods, Tools, and Impacts
Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges
This track is dedicated to exploring the role of Living Labs in tackling grand societal challenges.
This track welcomes papers that delve into how Living Labs can serve as innovation platforms for challenges related to:
- health and well being
- climate change (including papers relevant to the forthcoming IPCC Special report on “Climate change and cities”)
- energy and transport
- agriculture
- natural resources
Papers will focus on the transformative potential of Living Labs, which act as drivers for systemic change. By fostering collaboration and innovation, Living Labs supply an opportunity to co-create, test, and implement innovative solutions.
This track will explore the transformative potential of Living Labs in tackling complex societal challenges and promoting sustainable and inclusive development.
Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems
This track emphasizes the vital roles of Living Labs in shaping policymaking and governance within innovation ecosystems.
This track welcomes papers that delve into how Living Labs:
- facilitate policy experimentation, enabling policymakers to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of new policies in real-world settings.
- contribute to the creation and the governance of innovation ecosystems by fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
By providing a neutral and inclusive environment for co-creation and experimentation, Living Labs support the development of innovative solutions and policy strategies to address complex societal challenges. Moreover, they provide mechanisms for evaluating the impacts of policies and initiatives, ensuring that governance structures are still adaptable and impactful.
Therefore, this track aims to further investigate the crucial role of Living Labs in promoting evidence-based, iterative, and collaborative approaches to policymaking and governance within innovation ecosystems.
Living Labs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement
This track emphasises how Living Labs can become vehicles for fostering inclusive engagement across diverse groups, including those related to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), gender, citizen engagement strategies, and citizen science.
The track welcomes papers that discuss:
- how Living Labs can be designed, implemented, and evaluated to amplify voices that are often marginalized or underrepresented, ensuring that the outcomes of Living Lab initiatives are reflective of society’s broader diversity.
- strategies for effectively engaging citizens, ensuring that their perspectives, needs, and feedback are integrated into the co-creation and testing of solutions within Living Lab environments.
- how Living Labs can contribute to breaking down gender barriers in innovation and fostering environments that are inclusive and accessible to all.
By nurturing inclusivity in Living Labs, this track aims to promote systemic change, recognizing the transformative potential of these environments in addressing societal challenges in ways that are equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology
This track focuses on how Living Labs serve as crucial platforms that help businesses and society adopt and adapt to emerging technologies.
This track welcomes papers that delve into how Living Labs:
- can accelerate the development of emerging technologies, focusing on strategies to prepare these labs for emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
- support business and industry, serving as platforms for innovation and collaboration between stakeholders.
- contribute to the derisking of innovation and the early adoption of emerging technologies by providing a controlled and collaborative environment for testing and validation.
Discussions in this track will also address the concept of Living Labs as Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) and regulatory sandboxes, allowing for the safe and controlled testing of emerging technologies in real-world environments.
Living Labs Operations, Methods, Tools, and Impacts
This track explores the operational aspects of Living Labs, including their tools, services, business models, and the measurement of their impact.
This track welcomes papers that examine:
- how Living Labs are structured and managed.
- the types of services Living Labs provide
- the types of tools Living Labs use
- the business models Living Labs employ.
- the impact of Living Labs on innovation, economic development, and society as a whole. This includes new methods and tools to measure the impact of Living Labs, including their effectiveness in achieving their goals and objectives.
Discussions will also address the harmonisation of Living Labs services to ensure that they are compatible and interoperable with other services.
Through these research papers, the track aims to provide insights into the operational aspects of Living Labs and their impact on innovation and society, positioning along the whole R&I ecosystems value chain.
Contributing is easy
The research committee is inviting academic and practitioner submission, as well as PhD papers. It encourages submissions from academics, researchers, practitioners, private actors, NGO and public sector agencies, policy makers, students, and all those interested in co-creating innovation. If one of the authors is a PhD student, and the paper is linked to their PhD research, please indicate it on the track selection.
You can choose between one of the 3 submission categories:
Full research papers refer to complete research with clear results
LENGTH: 5.000 words
INSTRUCTIONS: Papers go through a double-blind review process that evaluates their significance, originality, contribution and clarity. Upon acceptance please make sure that at least one author registers to secure a slot for their presentation.
TEMPLATE: Paper submission template for proceedings OLLD24 – Full Research Papers
The Research in Progress category is for work that will NOT be completed before the conference. Participants will give an overview of their research purpose and progress, not a paper presentation, as the category’s purpose is to allow for discussion and feedback on work in progress.
LENGTH: 2.000 words
INSTRUCTIONS: Papers go through a double-blind review process that evaluates their significance, originality, contribution and clarity. Upon acceptance please make sure that at least one author registers to secure a slot for their presentation.
TEMPLATE: Paper submission template for proceedings OLLD24 – Research-in-Progress Papers
Innovation presentations describe Living Lab practices and experiences from e.g. innovation processes, Living Lab (EU) projects, implementation of innovations, Living Lab management, as well as innovations supporting Living Lab practices.
Submissions are done via a structured outline that describes:
- the main problem statement(s)
- methods/approach used
- results/outcomes
- why is this presentation of interest for the public?
- what do you want to get out of the presentation?
LENGTH: 500 words maximum
INSTRUCTIONS: Submitted outlines will go through a peer review process
TEMPLATE: Paper submission template for proceedings OLLD24 – Innovation Presentation
Format for submitting all papers
- Follow the guidelines presented above according to your chosen paper category.
- All papers must be submitted In British English.
- Your paper must be submitted in .doc(x) format (Word document)
- Please make sure your paper is anonymous. Only include the author’s full name and affiliations on the cover page.
- Indicate if your submission has been previously published elsewhere. This to ensure that we do not infringe upon another publisher’s copyright.
- Include a 1-paragraph abstract (max. 200 words) that provides the key messages you will be presenting in the paper.
- Clearly indicate for which track(s) you are submitting your paper.
- Include 4-6 keyword relating to the theme or topics covered by the paper.
- Provide a 2-3 paragraph conclusion that summarizes the article’s main points and leaves the reader with the most important messages.
- References should be made according to APA 6-style and included at the end of the paper in alphabetical order.
Please note that in case your paper gets accepted and depending on the evaluation by the reviewers, your paper might be moved to another track than the one you submitted to.
Research Committee
Submitted papers will be peer-reviewed by evaluators assigned by the Research committee.
The Research committee is chaired by:
Dimitri Schuurman (PhD), Innovation Expert Strategic Innovation Management & Living Labs at imec, Living Lab expert within the ISPIM and ENoLL networks.
Evaluators are chosen jointly by the Research committee and ENoLL director. Priority will be given to qualified ENoLL members.
Authors submitting a paper are also invited to review papers.
Papers submitted will be evaluated on their appropriateness of theme for the conference, scientific quality, innovativeness, and the final recommendations of the Research committee.
What happens if your submission is accepted?
Accepted contributions will be presented in person during the Open Living Lab Days.
Accepted contributions will be published in the Conference Proceedings of Open Living Lab Days 24 with an ISBN number.
By submitting your paper, you are hereby authorizing ENoLL to publish your paper in the Open Living Lab Days 24 conference proceedings which will be part of the research track of Open Living Lab Days.
Deadline for submitting your paper is May 12th, 2024.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by June 23rd, 2024.
Please submit your full final paper/innovation presentation to olld@enoll.org with ‘Paper submission OLLD24″ as email subject by the deadline of 30 May, 23.59h CEST.
We thank you for your contribution!