Living Labs as Regulatory Learning Tools: Exploring acceptable citizen-centric pathways for AI, energy and mobility
TIME
Thursday 22 September
14.00 – 15.30
ORGANISER
The session is jointly orgnanised by:
- The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) and Computer Vision Center (CVC-UAB).
- The Joint Research Center (JRC)
LOCATION
Sala Fucine
DESCRIPTION
This workshop aims at developing the concept of living labs as regulatory learning tools. The session is contextualised in the MoU Agreement between ENoLL and the JRC, and it focuses on advancing in the objectives of the ENoLL-JRC Joint Working Group (JWG) on Living Labs as Regulatory Learning Tools (please, visit the group’s page above in order to read the context, objectives, expected outcomes and selected bibliography). Particularly, we will tackle in this workshop the following objective of the JWG: OUTCOME #5 (Q4/2022): Report on “Living Labs as regulatory learning tools in 3 initial areas (AI, Energy and Mobility), including thre results of the OLLD2022 Workshop”.
During the workshop, representatives from ENoLL and the European Commission will share the current state of the art of living labs as regulatory learning tools, including their connections with other instruments for experimentation and regulatory innovation, such as testbeds and regulatory sandboxes.
In order to open the discussion, we will present concrete examples from ongoing initiatives in three areas of work:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Energy
- Mobility
The participants will be then distributed in break-out tables, following their particular interests, to discuss concrete challenges and opportunities, relevant initiatives worldwide, and general recommendations for the work in the ENoLL-JRC Joint Working Group on Living Labs as Regulatory Learning Tools. Key messages from the discussions will be then presented to the workshop plenary and will be integrated by the organisers in a short report aimed to be presented during Q4/2022, with acknowledgement of workshop participants for their contributions.
The report will be the basis for extending the work to other areas of interest during 2023, with the final objective of a document for Guidance for applying regulatory learning in a living lab context and the Revision of key questions for the group at OLLD23.
CORE TOPICS
Regulatory learning, living labs, test beds, sandboxes.
THIS SESSION IS FOR
- Policy makers & city representatives
- Companies & entrepreneurs
- Researchers & academics
- Living lab representatives and practitioners
- Innovators
AGENDA
14:00 Welcome and presentation of the objectives and agenda
14:05 AOTF on Social Impact of AI and ENoLL-JRC collaboration
14:10 State of the art and results of preliminary research on regulatory learning in living labs
14:30 Presentations of initiatives from 3 areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Energy
- Mobility
14:45 Break-out tables
15:15 Wrap up of the discussion from the break-out tables and open comments
15:25 Next steps and closing of the session
SPEAKERS
Fernando Vilariño
Associate Director at Computer Vision Centre and Associate Professor at UAB. Co-Founder of the Library Living Lab

Fernando Vilariño
Associate Director at Computer Vision Centre and Associate Professor at UAB. Co-Founder of the Library Living Lab
Prof. Fernando Vilariño is Associate Director of the Computer Vision Centre and Associate Professor of the Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. He is currently lecturing in Robotics and Multimedia Systems. His research has been linked to diverse areas of Computer Vision and Machine Learning, and Robotics. His current research is focused on the development of the link between physical and digital objects. He has led different projects related to citizen science through the implementation of a model for Living Labs in the context of Open Innovation. He has participated in the different workshops and invited talks in the context of ICT and culture. Dr. Vilariño has been awarded with the Spanish Gov. Ramon y Cajal Grant (2010), and Google Academy Award (2014) for his research. As Associate Director for the CVC he has contributed to the technology transfer of Computer Vision technology with setup of a number of start-ups in the field of Machine Learning and Computer Vision. He is co-leading the implementation of the Regional Computer Vision Ecosystem, the regional economic driver of AI. He has developed a model for innovation based on living labs that allows for multi-stake holder user centric approach. Fernando Vilariño is the current Chairman of the European Network of Living Labs.
Kaia Kert
Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer at the Joint Research Centre

Kaia Kert
Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer at the Joint Research CentreKaia joined the unit for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission in 2019. At present, she is responsible for the policy coordination and stakeholder engagement of the JRC Living Labs. Before joining the JRC, she completed a traineeship at the Directorate-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Between 2015 and 2018, Kaia worked in the consulting industry, as a research analyst for international mobility solutions in the UK and as an international project consultant in Estonia. She has an MA in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick and a BA in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London.
Michaela Vebrova
Graduate student of Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance, KU Leuven

Michaela Vebrova
Graduate student of Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance, KU LeuvenMichaela is completing her MSc degree in Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance at a consortium of three universities: the Catholic University of Leuven, the University of Münster, and Tallinn University of Technology. She recently finished a scientific traineeship at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, where her work focused on regulatory sandboxes and living labs. She holds a BA in International Relations from Colgate University.
Dario Malerba
Expert for the Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers, Department for Digital Transformation - Product Owner of "Mobility as a Service for Italy" national initiative

Dario Malerba
Expert for the Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers, Department for Digital Transformation - Product Owner of "Mobility as a Service for Italy" national initiativeThanks to the university path in International Economics and Management, concluded with a grade of 110 cum laude, the Master's in Business Administration (MBA) held at the Colleges des Ingenieurs (Turin, Paris, Monaco), Dario Malerba has developed in-depth knowledge in different fields of application of economic sciences, with particular focus on innovative business models, smart cities & smart mobility, economics of innovation and emerging technologies. Dario Malerba's professional background includes various work experiences in both the public and private sectors, culminating in his current position as an Expert for the Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers, working in the Department for Digital Transformation, the technical organization that supports the work of the Minister for Innovation and Digital Transition, as Product Owner of a Recovery Plan investment: Mobility as a Service for Italy.
Marina Manzoni
EU Policy Officer, European Commission

Marina Manzoni
EU Policy Officer, European CommissionMarina has a university degree in Economics and Humanities. She joined the European Commission in 1991 where she has been working as Innovation Officer for Digital Technologies and Applications in support to businesses, citizens and the public sector - in areas, such as, eBusiness, eInclusion and eGoverment. She moved to the Joint Research Center (JRC) in 2015, where she enriched her experience in managing research projects and developing innovation policies in areas, including Citizen Science and Artificial Intelligence applied to Public Services. She is currently working in the area of Digital Transformation and Governance of the Public Sector within the Digital Economy Unit.
Manuel Villa-Arrieta
Researcher at Funseam (Foundation for Energy and Environmental Sustainability) and leader of the European project Tr@nsnet

Manuel Villa-Arrieta
Researcher at Funseam (Foundation for Energy and Environmental Sustainability) and leader of the European project Tr@nsnetManuel Villa-Arrieta is a researcher at Funseam (Foundation for Energy and Environmental Sustainability - Spain) and coordinator of Funseam Energy Sustainability Observatory. Funseam is a private non-profit foundation, a forum for discussion and debate, analysis, scientific research and advice in the field of energy and the environment. Manuel is industrial engineer, Master in renewable energies by the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and the Universitat Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC), and PhD in electrical engineering by the UPC. Manuel is passionate about innovation and has more than fifteen years of experience in the study of sustainability, having conducted research and projects in fields such as Smart Cities, circular economy and the empowerment of people in the evaluation of the social and environmental impact of the market. Manuel is also an entrepreneur and CEO of the startup Biyiud. Since 2020 Manuel leads with Funseam in the European project Tr@nsnet the research on regulatory innovation in the field of Living Labs.
Organisers:
Kaia Kert (JRC)
Fernando Vilariño (Computer Vision Center-UAB/ENoLL)
Michaela Vebrova (JRC)
Sven Schade (JRC)
Marina Manzoni (JRC)