The test-before-invest approach allows for innovators to develop new products and services in a controlled scenario, with the aim of having an optimal solution prior to further rounds of investments, minimizing risks and providing much better suited results. The European Commission has identified the test-before-invest approach as one of the core elements of the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), in which innovation and technology services are provided to SME’s. In this context, living labs arise as a powerful tool to tackle the approach to test-before-invest from a multi-stakeholder perspective, or, in other words: to target the wider market of systemic transformations. In this session we will provide clear examples on how living labs are appearing as enablers for the test-before-invest in real life scenarios, with specific emphasis in supporting SMEs. We will provide pathways to the further integration of classical innovation agents, such as industrial clusters, and we will discuss the most needed approaches to Citizen Centric knowledge valorisation and the relevant connections with testbeds, sandboxes and regulatory learning.

Session Objectives: 

1. Project the current value proposition to SMEs for in the context of European Digital innovation Hubs
2. Provide working examples of the value of “Living-Lab-as-a-service” in the context of EDIHs and B2Bs: how concrete services can be materialized from the most formal definition of Living Lab to the concrete/tangible actions, always connected with the common thread of “test before invest”.
3. Provide an initial examples and roadmap for citizen centric knowledge valorisation in the context of test-before-invest.
4. Propose clear examples of the benefits of the test-before-invest approach implemented with test-beds, sandboxes and living labs, used as regulatory learning tools-.
5. Provide a starting point for the creation of a working group session during the networking session.