Research Track: Top Contributions
TIME
11:00 – 12:45
Chaired by
Dimitri Schuurman
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.
Top contribution papers by the Evaluation Committee
- Digital bother and burden in older age: a transnational LEGO® Serious Play® exploration
- Platform-level Living Lab Canvas: a tool to support the sustainable management of living labs for social transformation
- The Living Lab Modeler: A tool to leverage the activities and impact of your Living Lab
- Local Government Living Labs: An Australian Explanatory Case Study
- Urban Living Labs as user-centered ecosystem: Spatial Persona as a Tool for Public Space Revitalization, the Case of Lange Jan Park in Heerlen
- Unpacking the conditions leading to social innovation: Living Labs and the role of knowledge in co-creation networks Presenter(s) name: Juan Pablo Centeno and Trui Steen
Digital bother and burden in older age: a transnational LEGO® Serious Play® exploration
Leen Broeckx
Panel Manager LiCalab/Thomas More University of Applied Sciences
Leen Broeckx
Panel Manager LiCalab/Thomas More University of Applied SciencesLeen holds a Master’s degree in Communication Science and a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies. In 2013, Leen joined the LiCalab team at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences as panel manager. Her role within the team is to manage and guide the panel of more than 350 citizens, care organisations and caregivers. She supervises the Living Lab activities: from recruitment, scenario writing, guiding group discussions and real-life tests through the processing the results. Leen champions Human Centered Design and she strongly believes in the participatory approach to healthcare innovation.
Abstract: Bother and burden are terms associated with older persons in the management of a range of health conditions. As healthcare becomes more digitalized, older persons are encouraged to use digital health and wellbeing technologies to manage their own self-care. To date, however, there has been little examination of how bother, as distinct from burden, with such technologies may impact engagement with digital self-management of personal health and wellbeing. Using the LEGO® Serious Play® method, the concepts of bother and burden are examined with older persons in Ireland and Belgium. Findings have implications for the successful implementation of digital health technology solutions intended for use by older citizens as well as the use of the LEGO® Serious Play® method in living lab contexts.
Key words: Digital health; older persons; ageing; living lab: LEGO Serious Play
Platform-level Living Lab Canvas: a tool to support the sustainable management of living labs for social transformation
Fumiya Akasaka
Senior researcher, Human Augmentation Research Center (HARC), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
Fumiya Akasaka
Senior researcher, Human Augmentation Research Center (HARC), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), JapanFumiya Akasaka, Ph.D., is a Senior researcher at the Human Augmentation Research Center (HARC), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. His research interests include the methodological aspects of co-design and living labs, socio-digital transformation design in smart city context, and community-based co-design for social innovation. He has been active in publishing high quality academic works. His recent publications include “A framework for ‘configuring participation’ in living labs†in Design Science (Vol. 8, E28, 2022) and “Development of a self-assessment tool for the effective management of Living Labs†in Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (Vol. 70, 101783, 2023). He is continuously engaged in research activities to interconnect “practice†and “theoryâ€; he leads the service design-based living lab projects in Kashiwanoha smart city in Japan and builds methodologies through such practical projects. He is also the principal investigator of LLL (Living Lab Laboratory) project, a research project for the establishment of a living lab methodology for the Japanese socio-cultural context. He acts as a board member of the JNoLL, a network of living lab and practitioners in Japan.
Abstract: This study focuses on living labs as ‘platforms for co-creation (i.e. platform-level living labs)’, in which multiple co-creation projects on diverse social issues are promoted through mutual interaction among them. The long-term operation of such a platform-level living lab is important for achieving social innovation and transformation through the living lab approach; however, methods and tools to support its sustainable management and operation have not been developed. Therefore, this study attempts to develop a canvas tool to support the sustainable operation and management of a platform-level living lab. It does so based on the qualitative analysis of data collected from in-depth interviews conducted with experts who have organized actual cases of long-term practicing platform-level living labs in Japan. We also conduct the case-based application of the developed canvas tool and find that the tool is useful in that it enables us to consider various perspectives that are important when setting up and managing a platform-level living lab. This study also provides a ‘starting point’ for further discussions on a methodology for the integrated use of multi-level canvases in the sustainable management of platform-level living labs.
Key words: Digital health; older persons; ageing; living lab: LEGO Serious Play
The Living Lab Modeler: A tool to leverage the activities and impact of your Living Lab
Eleni Toli
Research associate and Senior Project Manager Athena RC and at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Athens
Eleni Toli
Research associate and Senior Project Manager Athena RC and at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of AthensEleni Toli is a research associate and Senior Project Manager at the Athena RC and at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Athens. She is a member of AE4RIA, the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Αephoria (https://ae4ria.org/). She has been involved in the scientific and technical coordination of several EU-funded projects related to Open Science and Open Data, European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), Research Data Infrastructures, Data Repositories and Digital Social Innovation. She has been working on methodologies for specifications and requirements elicitation for the development of ICT solutions and on tools for stakeholder engagement.
Christos Marinos-Kouris
Research associate, Athena RC and at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Athens
Christos Marinos-Kouris
Research associate, Athena RC and at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of AthensChristos Marinos-Kouris is a research associate working at project management at the Athena RC and at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Athens. He has been involved in the scientific and technical coordination of several EU-funded projects related to Digital Transformation, Open Data, European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), Research Data Infrastructures, Digital Social Innovation. He has been working on methodologies for specifications and requirements elicitation for the development of ICT solutions and on tools for stakeholder engagement.
Abstract: The Living Lab Modeler (LLM) is a web-based application that enables the digital representation of Living Labs (LLs) and the facilitation of their activities.
LLM is designed on the premise of LLs being user-centred innovation ecosystems that rely on multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive innovation. The LLM addresses commonly observed shortcomings in the operation of Living Labs, by providing a digital solution to support core LL activities such as stakeholder management, activity tracking, outcome documentation, and reporting, including also more specialised modules that depict the interactions among the LL’s ‘ecosystem’ entities. The first version of LLM was developed as part of the DESIRA H2020 project and tested with European LLs that sprang on the premise of DESIRA.
This paper presents the empirical observations along with Living Lab related theoretical and conceptual perspectives that contributed to the shaping of the LLM, subsequently developing on the main design principles and functionalities, providing a comprehensive outline of the multifaceted capabilities of the tool and showcasing its potential.
Key words: Living Lab operation, Living Lab management, digital tools and solutions, user-centred innovation ecosystems, co-creation methodologies
Local Government Living Labs: An Australian Explanatory Case Study
Sonja Pedell
Director of the Swinburne Living Lab
Sonja Pedell
Director of the Swinburne Living LabProfessor Sonja Pedell has 20 years of experience in evidence-based research, advocacy and participatory design processes. She carries out research working with many different user groups including older adults, culturally diverse groups, homeless people, people with low income and people living with chronic illnesses or dementia. Sonja is Director of the Swinburne Living Lab which is now the oldest accredited active Australian member in the European Network of Living Labs (EnoLL). The Living Lab has developed core development capabilities in the area of innovative socio-technical systems and design solutions for “wellbeing and enjoyment for whole of lifeâ€. Via co-design she brings those with technical expertise and lived experience together to design meaningful products, services and experiences in their environments and develop innovative solutions that people readily adopt, as they fit with their actual needs and goals. Sonja conducts evaluates the effectiveness of these products, services and experiences with a focus on how they benefit people’s lives.
Abstract: We are promoting the broader adoption of the living lab concept by local government to build on established community linkages in co-creating stakeholder value. This paper presents an engagement model derived from the literature and records and reflects the experience of one Australian Local Government Authority (LGA) that has launched a series of living lab projects. The model considers four factors from a value co-creation perspective: the extent of engagement (the negotiated deal), the outcome(s) sought (the value proposition), partners and roles (creating and delivering stakeholder value) and the broader context (value-in-use realised). A LMS (MoodleCloud) was used as a data repository to both organise academic and field records collected and to share case learnings. The LGA community-engaged strategic planning process had identified a need to facilitate community action to achieve some of its goals, and embraced the living lab concept following a successful pilot project. It has engaged with a university in co-design workshops to identify enhanced community engagement pathways and supported seven short circular economy deployment projects to both demonstrate benefits and identify ways the LGA might scale up its activities.
Key words: Living Labs, Local Government, Strategic alignment, Societal engagement, Value co-creation.
Urban Living Labs as user-centered ecosystem: Spatial Persona as a Tool for Public Space Revitalization, the Case of Lange Jan Park in Heerlen
Nurhan Abujidi
Professor at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and Head of the Smart Urban Redesign research centre.
Nurhan Abujidi
Professor at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and Head of the Smart Urban Redesign research centre.Nurhan Abujidi is an architect and urban designer , she holds a doctor’s degree in Architecture, Urban Design and Regional Planning from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) Nurhan Abujidi is currently Professor at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, where she is the Head of the Smart Urban Redesign research centre. She leads urban renewal projects in multiple neighbourhoods and cities in Limburg,. She started and developed the concept and model of Urban Living labs in Limburg under the program UniveCity in 5 cities including Maastricht, Heerlen, Sitttard Geleen, Roermond and Weert.. Her expertise includes urban renewal, public space revitalisation, Urban Living labs, tactical urbanism, circular cities and communities.
Poorya Eghtesadi
Poorya Eghtesadi
Poorya is an architect and urban designer with a Bachelor’s degree from Tehran University and a Master’s degree from KU Leuven in Belgium. My work is cantered on urban transformation, with a strong emphasis on fostering just cities and advancing ecological resilience.
Abstract: This study explores how socio-spatial power dynamics influence the identity and perception of public spaces within an Urban Living Lab setting. The research investigates Lange Jan Park in Heerlen’s social dynamics, user perceptions, and existing power structures by combining methods like observations, qualitative research, co-creation, co-design activities, and mapping Lange Jan Park. The findings are used to create user and Spatial Persona, which are key in the design process. The study also involves a collaborative co-creation and co-design process to develop scenarios and interventions aimed at improving social interactions, addressing power imbalances, and changing negative perceptions. The Urban Living Lab model and its quintuple helix framework guide this process, encouraging active dialogue and meaningful outcomes.
Key words: Urban Living Lab, Quintuple Helix, Spatial Persona, Public Space Revitalization, Socio-Spatial Power Relations.
Unpacking the conditions leading to social innovation: Living Labs and the role of knowledge in co-creation networks
Juan Pablo Centeno
PhD researcher at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI)
Juan Pablo Centeno
PhD researcher at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI)Juan Pablo Centeno is a PhD researcher at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI), interested in knowledge governance in the co-creation of social innovations. Prior to PGI, he worked as a consultant in research & innovation policy in the United Kingdom, Latin America and the Caribbean, and as a lecturer and researcher on the fields of Policy Studies, Public Administration and Science & Technology Studies in Colombia.
Prof. dr. Trui Steen
Director and Full Professor of Public Governance and Coproduction of Public Services, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI)
Prof. dr. Trui Steen
Director and Full Professor of Public Governance and Coproduction of Public Services, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI)Prof. dr. Trui Steen is the director of the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI) and a Full Professor of Public Governance and Coproduction of Public Services at the same institute. Her research covers the governance of public tasks, the role of public service professionals, co-creation and co-production of public services, collaborative innovation, public sector innovation, and local governance. prof. Steen holds a PhD in Social Sciences from KU Leuven.
Dr. Paula Rodriguez Müller
Scientific Policy Officer at the European Commission - Joint Research Centre
Dr. Paula Rodriguez Müller
Scientific Policy Officer at the European Commission - Joint Research CentreDr. Paula Rodriguez Müller is a Scientific Policy Officer at the European Commission - Joint Research Centre, where she leads different projects on digital transformation and AI in the Public Sector. She holds a PhD in Social Sciences from KU Leuven, where she is now a Research Fellow at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute (PGI). Her main research interests include co-creation/co-production of digital public services, digital transformation, smart cities and public values.
Abstract: This research project questions what are the conditions under which co-creation networks develop social innovations in the context of grand challenges, and how do these conditions influence the tensions and practices of knowledge circulation in the co-creation process? The focus is on configurations of structural and collaborative conditions defining how different sources of knowledge inform the co-creation of social innovations. Theoretically, it builds on co-creation literature, network and collaborative governance theory, and boundary work, to identify the governance attributes of successful co-creations. Empirically, multisector European Living Labs are analysed, as relevant instances of networked co-creation. A mixed methods approach is employed, combining Social Network Analysis (SNA), Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), and in-depth case studies. The project will deliver systematic empirical insights on how Living Labs facilitate the co-creation of social innovations in different sectors. It will also contribute to co-creation literature by conceptualising the role of knowledge in multistakeholder collaborations aimed at societal change and sustainability transitions.
Key words: Co-creation, Knowledge, Social innovation, Collaborative governance, Living labs, Network governance