As part of OpenLivingLab Days 2026, a selection of field visits will be organized on 2 October, offering participants the opportunity to experience Living Labs in practice. Hosted by Belgian ENoLL members, these visits will provide an immersive look into real-life environments where innovation is co-created and tested.
Designed as interactive half-day sessions, they will prioritize exchange, demonstrations, and hands-on experiences, allowing participants to engage directly with practitioners and ongoing initiatives. Beyond showcasing local activities, these visits aim to foster peer learning, inspiration, and meaningful connections within the international Living Lab community. Alternatively, you can choose to visit a cultural field trip in Antwerp.
Thomas More Centres of Expertise - Exploring Innovation in Action
Date: 2 October 2026
Location: Geel
Hosting Organisation: LiCalab – Living Lab experience through LiCalab in collaboration with Thomas More’s Centres of Expertise
Capacity: 45 people max
Start & end time: 09:00 – 14:15
Discover how applied research, Living Labs and state-of-the-art facilities come together at Thomas More Campus Geel. Hosted by LiCalab, this field visit offers an immersive journey across multiple disciplines, including health and wellbeing, mobility and care, sustainable biomass and chemistry, agri-food, and energy. Participants will visit the Centres of Expertise and experience a wide range of research infrastructures: a Co-Creation Lab, motion analysis and biomechanics facilities, orthotics and prosthetics robots, wearables, VR and monitoring technologies, as well as insect-rearing, algae-cultivation and greenhouse horticulture facilities. Through live demonstrations and exchange with researchers, this visit reveals how interdisciplinary collaboration turns innovation into real-world impact.
imec’s Societal Imagineering Lab at De Krook
Date: 2 October 2026
Location: Ghent
Hosting Organisation: imec-MICT-Ghent University – Living Lab experience through imec’s Societal Imagineering Lab (evolved from imec.livinglabs)
Capacity: 25 people max
Start & end time: 10:00 – 13:00
This field visit offers an immersive Living Lab experience at imec’s Societal Imagineering Lab in De Krook, Ghent’s landmark library and innovation hub. Building on the legacy of imec.livinglabs, the lab explores the societal impact of emerging technologies through co-creation, experimentation, and user engagement in real-life settings. Participants will discover the COMON Urban Living Lab, where citizens, researchers, and local stakeholders co-create digital solutions for urban challenges. The visit will also showcase a variety of cutting-edge research environments and installations and Futures and Digital Cultural Heritage installations. Participants will furthermore gain insight into Ghent’s wider innovation ecosystem, including the Wintercircus, Ghent Tech Valley, highlighting inclusive and impact-driven technological innovation.
Living Lab Inagro & Agrotopia
Date: 2 October 2026
Location: Roeselare
Hosting Organisation: Inagro – Living Lab experience through Inagro
Capacity: 50 people max
Start & end time: 10:00 – 14:30 (lunch included)
ILVO Living Lab Animal Husbandry
Date: 2 October 2026
Location: Merelbeke-Melle
Hosting Organisation: ILVO
Capacity: 30 people max
Start & end time: 10:00 – 14:30
The Living Lab Animal Husbandry (LLAH) operates a unique experimental farm infrastructure containing more than 20,000 m² of animal research facilities for cattle, pigs, poultry, and rabbits. The site functions as a dynamic environment for research, demonstration, learning, and stakeholder interaction. Participants will gain firsthand insights into our Living Lab methodology, experimental setups, and collaborative research approach. In addition to a visit to some experimental animal housing facilities, the field trip will also include a visit to the brand-new ILVO Feed Pilot, a unique pilot facility specialised in the production of precision feeds.
Open-Air Sculpture Park at Middelheim Museum - Connecting Nature, Art & Wellbeing
Date: 2 October 2026
Location: Antwerp
Hosting Organisation: Middelheimmuseum – Living Lab experience through the Bypass Project (in collaboration with ZAS / UKJA, City of Antwerp, University of Antwerp and local stakeholders)
Capacity: 30 participants (2 groups of 15)
Start time: 08:45 (Group 1) / 09:15 (Group 2)
End time: 14:15 (Group 1) / 14:45 (Group 2)
Step into the Middelheim Museum’s open-air sculpture park for an immersive encounter with art, care and public space. This field visit explores the Bypass Project, a collaboration between Middelheim Museum and ZAS/UKJA child and youth psychiatry. Following a brief introduction to its co-creative approach, participants will join a mindful walking experience among more than 180 sculptures in the park and the open-air depot. Guided exercises in slow observation, sensory awareness and reflection invite participants to experience how art can support well-being, connection and presence. Discover how a living-lab approach can unfold beyond conventional settings—through shared experience in a remarkable public landscape.
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Date: 2 October 2026
Location: Antwerp
Hosting Organisation: Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Capacity: 18 people max
Start & end time: TBC
Estimated travel time from Antwerp: Located within Antwerp (no transport required)
Ticket information: Attendants need to buy their own ticket