OpenLivingLabDays 2024
OpenLivingLab Days is the flagship annual event organized by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). It is the global gathering of international Living Labs that brings together living labbers, public officials, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, and innovators from around the world. The event offers a unique platform for networking, exchanging best practices, and collaborating on cutting-edge projects and for reflecting on the latest trends and how to shape the future.
The 2024 edition of OpenLivingLab Days will be held in Timișoara, Romania from 24-27 September 2024. It is our pleasure to announce that the event will be co-organized with West University of Timișoara, the host of Digital and Green Living Lab.
This edition counts with many relevant sessions & workshops; in three of them researchers from the chair team will participate:
Global Perspectives on Informed Policy and Living Lab Impact: Insights from Science Advisors and Innovators
Description
This roundtable explores how Living Labs drive innovation and inform policy decisions to enhance citizen engagement and wellbeing. Experts from North America, the European Science Advisors Forum (ESAF), the European Universities Initiative (EUI), national and regional agencies, and local academia will discuss the collaborative value within experimentation spaces, particularly focusing on regulatory sandboxes. The session will highlight best practices for measuring Living Lab impacts and provide recommendations for evidence-based innovation policy. Participants will learn how these initiatives support regulatory decision-making and foster responsible experimentation, ultimately contributing to improved citizen wellbeing.
The EUI will be discussed as a regulatory sandbox for higher education, allowing institutions to experiment with new legislative frameworks, enhance digital interoperability, and facilitate seamless researcher mobility. By integrating digital infrastructures and promoting cross-border academic programmes, the EUI helps shape a dynamic and globally competitive higher education landscape. This discussion aims to leverage these insights for broader policy applications.
Agenda
15:45 – 15:50 Opening remarks
15:50 – 16:05 Global Perspectives on Living Labs and Innovation
16:05 – 16:20 European Dimension: Science Advisory and EUI Insights
16:20 – 16:35 National and Regional Perspectives
16:35 – 16:50 Local Impact Assessment and Best Practices
16:50 – 17:00 Q&A and Interactive Discussion
Driving Innovation: The Role of Living Labs in Supporting SMEs through Test-Before-Invest Strategies
Description
Multi-stakeholder Living Labs are central to the test-before-invest strategy, providing innovators with controlled environments to develop and refine their products and services, reduce risks and create new value chains within traditional business sectors. This session will present real-life examples from Catalonia that illustrate how Living Labs support SMEs and drive systemic change. We’ll explore the synergies between digital innovation centres, industrial clusters and Living Labs, highlighting their collaborative benefits for SMEs.
We’ll also emphasise the importance of citizen-centred knowledge valorisation within this framework to ensure that solutions meet real needs and gain societal acceptance. The session will also discuss the role of testbeds, sandboxes and Living Labs as regulatory learning tools, fostering innovation while ensuring compliance.
We’ll share experiences from previous initiatives and working groups to take forward the concepts discussed. In summary, collaboration between digital innovation hubs, clusters and Living Labs drives innovation, supports SMEs in the digital age and connects them to key funding opportunities.
Agenda
14:00 – 14:15 Welcome – Fernando Vilariño & Marta Martorell
14:15 – 14:30 Clusters and Living Labs: a natural match – Maria Alacid
14:30 – 14:45 Presentation of Industrial Living Labs Experiences and Best practices – Max Petrov & Maria Alacid
14:45 – 15:00 European Digital Innovation Hubs and TEFs, new scenarios for Living Lab development, sectoral transformation and funding opportunities – Teodor Pop & Alexandru Roja
15:00 – 15:10 Q&A
15:10 – 15:15 Conclusion
Exploring the marriage of Citizen Science & Living Labs: Citizen-centric knowlege generation and innovation
Description
Modern Citizen Science approaches can contribute greatly to solutions to the public governance needed for green, social and digital transitions. Living Labs engage citizens in innovation process while succeeding in involving stakeholders to address societal issues, while citizen science can provide a missing piece for citizen-centric knowledge generation aligned with societal needs.
This workshop explores the interlinks between Citizen Science and Living Lab Communities towards joint contributions in support to inclusive engagement and policy support, and it is designed as the mirror event of the 2024 ECSA conference, backed by the MoU between ECSA and ENoLL signed in 2023.
Agenda
10 min – Welcome to the session by Fernando Vilariño CVC-UAB, Rosa Arias (Science4Change ECSA), Sven Schade (JRC), Martha King (KWMC).
10 min – What is actually Citizen Science… in a nutshell? Fernando Vilariño (CVC-UAB, ENoLL)
5 min – Introduction to the workshop – Why are we here? Ot Puy I Baqué (UAB)
60 min – Practical exercises – Hands on sessions (All)
5 min – What do we expect from this marriage?
