OLLD26 will open in Brussels on 29 September with a dedicated Policy Event at the European Committee of the Regions, hosted in the prestigious Committee of the Regions by Markku Markkula, Vice President of the CoR, bringing together European policymakers, institutional representatives and the Living Lab community. The event, “The Impact and Future of Living Labs for European Policies,” will explore how Living Labs can contribute to more effective, inclusive and evidence-based European policies, while supporting innovation uptake and sustainable competitiveness. Discussions will also look ahead to future EU priorities and the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework.
The Policy Event will open with a keynote by Jean-David Malo, Acting Director, Directorate A – ERA & Innovation, setting the scene around Europe’s research and innovation priorities and the role of the European Research Area in addressing global challenges. The policy dialogue will bring together Henri Delanghe, Head of Unit “Research and Innovation” at DG Agriculture and Rural Development, Wiebke Pankauke, Head of Unit “Ocean, Seas and Waters” at DG Research and Innovation, and Federico Porrà, policy officer “Healthy Planet Climate and Planetary Boundaries Unit at DG Research and Innovation. Together, they will explore how Living Labs can contribute to European priorities across areas including climate adaptation, health, agriculture, urban transitions and research and technology infrastructures.
The discussion will then turn to how Living Labs can contribute to European policy goals, strengthen competitiveness, and support the uptake of innovation across different strategic domains. A diverse group of ENoLL Members will bring perspectives from health and wellbeing, smart mobility, emerging technologies, food systems and regional innovation, including Wim De Kinderen (Brainport Eindhoven – Eindhoven Living Lab), Evdokimos Konstantinidis (Thessaloniki Action for Health & Wellbeing Living Lab, AUTH), Georgia Ayfantopoulou (Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab), Dimitri Schuurman (imec.livinglabs), Francesca Volpe (CHIEAM Food Systems, Agriculture and Rural Development Working Group), and Giulia Campodonico (ENoLL Head of Projects and coordinator of the SOILL scale-up project).
The programme will also address regulatory learning and evidence-based policymaking, with a presentation of the Joint Research Centre before ending the innovation journey with a high-level closing from Bart Becks, member of the Board of the European Innovation Council (EIC), that will reflect on how Living Labs can support innovators through experimentation, user validation, and ecosystem building, helping bridge the journey from research and technological development to market uptake and scaling.
By Martina Desole – Director