Mixed Research Session
TIME
09:00 – 10:30
Type of Session
Research Session
DESCRIPTION
Following the evaluation procedure the OLLD evaluation committee has accepted the research papers. All papers reflect on the theme of the conference “LIVING LABS FRONTIERS: Driving systemic change through Soci(et)al Engagement, for real impact” explores how Living Labs can drive meaningful societal systemic change through active engagement and collaboration.” and have been classified according to its sub-tracks. These are: TRACK 1: Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges; TRACK 2: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, collaboration and innovation ecosystems; TRACK 3: LLs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement; TRACK 4: Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology; TRACK 5: Living Labs Operation, Methods, Tools, and Impact.
Mixed research papers by the Evaluation Committee
- Living labs changing the everyday lives of participants: Cognitive, affective and conative empowerment
- Tracking and presenting living lab activities in real time: the use of living plans and activity visualization in a Swiss research consortium
- The small campus facing grand societal challenges: case study of the Campus Living Lab
- Fostering inclusive engagement and transformation: PS-U-GO ULLs
- Instruments for Implementing Systemic Change to Foster Climate Transitions in European Cities
- Testing & Experimentation Facilities: The role of AI Regulatory Sandboxes & Living Labs
Living labs changing the everyday lives of participants: Cognitive, affective and conative empowerment
Krzysztof Klincewicz, Magdalena Zatorska
RESEARCH TRACK: Living Labs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement
Magdalena Zatorska
Research Fellow at the Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw
Magdalena Zatorska
Research Fellow at the Faculty of Management, University of WarsawResearch Fellow at the Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw Magdalena is a social researcher and ethnographer, believing in open innovation and the power of dialogue and collaboration. Since 2019, she has been developing the EIT Food RIS Consumer Engagement Labs: a realm where consumers and food innovators seamlessly participate in shaping the future of food. In 2019-2023, the co-creation processes involved 106 consumer panels, 25 scientific organizations and 55 companies from 19 European countries, who worked together to design, develop and introduce to the market 30 innovative food products.
Abstract: Living labs involving consumers help design new products addressing the user needs but also spur personal consequences for participants. The paper analyses living labs focused on co-creation of new food products in the EIT Food RIS Consumer Engagement Labs project, implemented in 14 European countries with 42 consumer teams, 2019-2020. Based on interviews with facilitators and participating consumers, the study provides insights into changes in lives of participants, resulting from the living labs experience, analysed through the lenses of cognitive, affective and conative empowerment. Conation (a drive towards purposeful, goal-oriented actions) is considered a particularly important trigger for personal changes of living labs participants.
Key words: Living Lab; co-creation; empowerment; new product development; conative empowerment
Testing & Experimentation Facilities: The role of AI Regulatory Sandboxes & Living Labs
Dimitri Schuurman, Laure De Cock, Martin Canter, Thomas De Meester, Olivia Willems & Tamara De Swert.
RESEARCH TRACK: Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology
Dimitri Schuurman
Program Manager, imec
Dimitri Schuurman
Program Manager, imecDimitri holds the position of university business development manager at research group imec-MICT-Ghent University where he is responsible for research on inclusive design, impact via Living Labs and design for futures, all in the context of new and emerging technologies. He is also a visiting professor strategic design and innovation management at Ghent University in the industrial design studies and partly works for the European Network of Living Labs as senior research strategist. Since 2015 Dimitri holds a PhD on innovation management in Living Labs from Ghent University (UGent) and the Free University of Brussels (VUB in which he developed a three-layered model that is now widely used in Living Lab research as well as practice. He published more than 200 academic papers, acted as guest editor for multiple" journals and for over ten years leads a special interest group on Living Labs in the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM). Finally, since recently, Dimitri is also active as an independent consultant in the domains of open innovation, user innovation and strategic innovation management.
Abstract: The current surge in AI innovations is gaining increased momentum and attention from both enthusiastic early adopters and concerned stakeholders. The European Commission aims to lead in this rapidly evolving field by implementing legal constraints to prevent potential negative consequences while also helping European AI innovators compete globally. To balance strict legislation with the encouragement of innovation, four sector-specific Testing-and-Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) were launched in 2023. These TEFs serve as specialized, large-scale sites where technology providers across Europe can test and experiment with advanced AI solutions in real-world environments. In the literature, these new innovation facilities are linked to three established concepts: regulatory sandboxes, Living Labs, and testbeds.
This paper focuses on CitCom.ai, one of the four operational TEFs, which aims to bridge the gap between AI innovators and the development of smart, sustainable cities and communities. Through a three-part triangulation study, we explore the connection between TEFs and other innovation concepts, the alignment between AI innovators’ needs and the TEF service offerings, and the actual usage of these services in running or planned experiments at various TEF sites.
Our findings reveal that TEFs incorporate elements of regulatory sandboxes, Living Labs, and testbeds. Currently, services related to testbeds are the most frequently utilized in experiments. However, AI innovators have expressed the greatest need for regulatory sandbox services, indicating a mismatch between what is offered and what is needed. This suggests that initiatives are required to address this imbalance, particularly in the provision of AI regulatory sandbox services, to ensure TEFs fulfil their intended roles and meet their initial promises.
Key words: Artificial Intelligence, TEFs, AI Regulatory Sandboxes, Living Labs, Testbeds, Experimentation
Fostering inclusive engagement and transformation: PS-U-GO ULLs
Nadia Charalambous, Christina Panayi, Christine Mady
RESEARCH TRACK: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems
Dr Christine Mady
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Aalto University
Dr Christine Mady
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Aalto UniversityDr. Christine Mady is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Aalto University since 2022. Prior to this position, she was Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, Notre Dame University-Louaize, Lebanon, and Department Head 2016-2020. Her research on Beirut’s public spaces established alternative readings related to instability, divides, mobility, spatio-temporal aspects and everyday life, with implications for broader research on roles and rights to public space. Christine is an active advisory board member of the AESOP Thematic Group on Public Spaces and Urban Cultures.
Abstract: Inclusive engagement is pivotal in fostering urban resilience and sustainable development. The “Education in Living Labs: Participatory Skills for Sustainable Urban Governance (PS-U-GO)” project engages diverse stakeholders, particularly young people, in collaborative urban planning through the establishment of Urban Living Labs in four European cities. The methodology of PS-U-GO Urban Living Labs, synthesized from literature and empirical studies, emphasizes inclusivity and adaptability, employing a flexible six-step process across three phases to facilitate transformation within involved communities and contexts. Central to the project is stakeholder participation, with strategies designed to accommodate diverse needs and preferences, ensuring sustained involvement, particularly among young people. By integrating bottom-up and top-down approaches, fostering trust, and providing opportunities for co-creation, PS-U-GO aims to empower stakeholders, enhance democratic participation, and implement sustainable urban solutions. The project underscores the importance of tailoring strategies to local contexts, nurturing a sense of ownership and belonging, and ensuring that all voices are not only heard but also valued in urban decision-making processes.
Instruments for Implementing Systemic Change to Foster Climate Transitions in European Cities
Morgan Ricard, Rohit Mondal, Sabrina Bresciani and Francesca Rizzo
RESEARCH TRACK: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems
Morgan Ricard
PhD candidate of Politecnico di Milano
Morgan Ricard
PhD candidate of Politecnico di MilanoMorgan Ricard is a PhD candidate of Politecnico di Milano, where she belongs to interdisciplinary STEP-Change (Science, Technology, and Policy for Sustainable Change) doctoral program. With a PSSD (Product-Service System Design) background, Morgan is implementing design research methodologies to study learning for capability building, collective sensemaking, and systemic change. As part of her EU-funded research, Morgan is heavily involved in the NetZeroCities project.
Abstract: Emerging climate transition trends in the European context witness a systemic approach beyond the conventional centring of efforts solely on technological solutions for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. The systemic approach, core to the European Union’s 2030 Climate Neutral Mission draws from extant literature to encompass both top-down and bottom-up perspectives towards climate neutrality, underscoring the importance of determinants such as trans-disciplinarity and experimentation. This paper presents instruments and tools developed for European cities within the EU-funded project, NetZeroCities, which aims to support a systemic approach to climate neutrality by 2030. These include the Climate City Contract concept and template (CCC), and the Climate Transition Map, which are presented and analysed through the lens of Organisational Innovativeness. These two innovative instruments utilised in the NetZeroCities project present several potential determinants of organisational innovativeness discussed in extant literature: administrative intensity, complexity, functional differentiation, internal communication, managerial attitude toward change, professionalism, slack resources, specialisation, technical capacity, absorptive capacity for new knowledge, and receptive context for change.
Key words: Systemic Change; Systemic Approach; Organisational Innovativeness (OI); Climate Neutrality; Public Administration Innovation
The small campus facing grand societal challenges: case study of the Campus Living Lab
Marta Najda-Janoszka, Beata Jałocha (presenter), Monika Jedynak, Dorota Rak, Sylwia Wrona
RESEARCH TRACK: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems
Marta Najda Janoszka
Associate Professor of Strategic Management at Jagiellonian University in Krakow
Marta Najda Janoszka
Associate Professor of Strategic Management at Jagiellonian University in KrakowMarta Najda-Janoszka is an Associate Professor of Strategic Management at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Her research focuses on the intersection of strategic management and entrepreneurship, with particular emphasis on the institutional perspective of value co-creation and capture dynamics within multi-stakeholder environments. She also conducts extensive studies on innovation, examining how innovative practices and policies impact strategic management and entrepreneurial activities. Her research aligns with a regional perspective, exploring how local contexts and regional policies influence business ecosystems and stakeholder interactions. She specializes in qualitative research.
Abstract: This article presents an academic initiative (the Campus Living Lab (CaLiLab) at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow) which is addressing some of the grand societal challenges that we witness at the beginning of the 21st century. Campus living labs are ecosystems within higher education institutions where campuses serve as testing grounds for innovations. In this paper we examine interdisciplinary, quintuple helix pilot projects within the CaLiLab. These projects focus on specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as quality education, sustainable cities and communities. CaLiLab’s initiatives contribute to global objectives through interdisciplinary cooperation and community engagement. By promoting education, social awareness, and integration, the lab aligns with the “health and well-being” domain, emphasizing inclusivity within academic environments. The lab’s team envisions CaLiLab as an open, collaborative space aimed at improving community well-being through useful research and co-created solutions for a better future.
Key words: Grand societal challenges, campus living lab, case study, Sustanaible Development Goals
Tracking and presenting living lab activities in real time: the use of living plans and activity visualization in a Swiss research consortium
Julien Forbat, Marlyne Sahakian, Anton Sentic
RESEARCH TRACK: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems
Julien Forbat, PhD
University of Geneva
Julien Forbat, PhD
University of GenevaJulien Forbat holds a PhD in interdisciplinary sciences from the University of Geneva. His research interests focus on environmental health policies and cross-disciplinary studies. His current affiliation is with the Department of Sociology at the University of Geneva, where he is involved in the implementation of living labs related to energy transition and well-being.â€
Anton Sentic
Living Lab and Transitions Researcher,Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Anton Sentic
Living Lab and Transitions Researcher,Zurich University of Applied SciencesAnton Sentic is a Living Lab and Transitions researcher working at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Currently leading/co-leading LL methodology work packages in the SWEET SWICE and SWEET Lantern energy research consortia, he is also acting as scientific co-lead of the WinLab LL in Winterthur and advisor to several Swiss Living Labs. In parallel with his current work with Living Labs, Anton is also an active member of the Sustainable Transitions Research community, having co-founded the NEST early career Transitions Researcher Network and serving as a member of the STRN Steering Group since 2019. Holding a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Environmental System Sciences with a focus on sustainable business management, as well as a PhD in Innovation Studies from the University of Greenwich, Anton’s main research interests lie in the intersection between Living Lab research and (sustainable) system transition processes, focusing on the role of LL in large-scale transitions and, on the practical side, the development and utilization of management tools and concepts in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of innovation processes in LL.
Abstract: MetaCity is an innovative smart city and urban concept that champions open innovation through digital platforms and social networks. It goes beyond being merely a research idea or a single technical advancement, instead embodying a holistic approach that encompasses innovators, innovations, users, and facilitators within a new narrative of innovation ecosystem. Metacities rooted in the Living Lab principles, i.e., the inclusion of early (and continuous) engagement of all relevant stakeholders, value co-creation for all participants, openness and transparency, an iterative process (inclusive to receive and apply feedback), real-life experimentation, the distribution of decision-making power, and the identification of stakeholders’ needs, motivations, and expectations to promote social inclusivity. Accordingly, MetaCities can be defined as the extended version of traditional and technically oriented smart cities by integrating Living Lab principles to foster inclusivity by balancing the social and technical aspects. To achieve the main objective of this initiative, the MetaCities project —Connecting Pockets of MetaCity Excellence around the Baltic Sea Region, funded by the European Commission under grant agreement 101134225. The project aims to accelerate, consolidate, align, and leverage the existing MetaCity and Smart City initiatives of the partner regions. Through these efforts, the project seeks to build the world’s leading connected MetaCity Region across the Baltic Sea (BSR).
Key words: Methodology, Assessment, Theory of change, Living plan