
Sustainable Living Lab Processes, Business Models and Goals Papers
Chairs: Dr. Joëlle Mastelic – HES-SO Valais
- Transformative research, methods, engagement.
- Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6).
- Affordable & Clean Energy (SDG 7).
- Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).
- Climate Action, Decarbonisation (SDG 13).
Building a platform of social entrepreneurship and living together
by Athanasios Priftis, Leonor Afonso and Theo Bondolfi
Track: Research-in-progress
Keywords:
- Web-mobile application
- Social entrepreneurship
- Co-living
- Collaboration
- Communities
Abstract. The goal of this paper is to present the initial steps of a web / mobile application of co-living and social entrepreneurship to be used in European ecovillages. The application is set to improve existing co-living conditions through more collaboration between its members, thus contributing to more stability and better long term relations. The main hypothesis is that if we manage to decode and re- introduce co-living activities, already taking place in ecovillages and ecoquartiers, in a clear, open and collaborative way, then we can stimulate more entrepreneurship in between communities, as well as other actors. In order to test and implement the first version of this application and build on an open and collaborative approach, we participated in a Social Hackathon (2018) presenting our concept for establishing a prototype. The results of this effort are included in this paper. Finally, our initial deployment target public will be one network of ecovillages (Ecopol – Smala) based in Switzerland.
Speaker
Athanasios Priftis
University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland / Ecopol – Living Lab

Athanasios Priftis
University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland / Ecopol – Living Lab
Thanasis is a researcher for the University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland and coordinating member of the Ecopol Living Lab. He has previously worked as independent ICT system analyst, designer and project coordinator, notably, for the World Bank and the Open Government Partnership, an international platform for domestic reformers committed to making their governments more open, accountable, and responsive to citizens. He enjoys working with children and adults in schools, collectives, business and other organisations wishing to change their preconceived ideas.
Business model review for Living Labs: Exploring business challenges and success factors of European Living Labs
by Justus von Geibler, Julius Piwowar and Linda Weber
Track: Research-in-progress
Keywords:
- Living Lab as a service
- Living Labs
- Business model
- Design-driven innovation
Abstract. Living Labs offer an open-innovation infrastructure for co-creation and product testing and gained increasing attention with regard to their potential to support sustainable innovation. However, many Living Labs face the challenge of financing their services, especially, when the business models focus on solving wicked problems such as urban transition and the future of health. Based on a desktop research and four qualitative interviews with active Living Labs, this paper explored experiences of Living Labs and their business model challenges as well as main future success factors. The findings demonstrate the need and opportunities to transition from public towards private funding, e.g., to clarify the Living Lab-as-a-service beyond technology show- room and innovation workshops; to be distinct from traditional R&D tools and consul- tancies and to place services within established innovation funding schemes, e.g., start-up vouchers. Furthermore, the results indicate challenges according to balancing the innovation process of flexibility and standardisation. Although iterative and agile processes are core values of the Living Lab, the innovation process needs some stand- ardisation to allow efficiency gains and to comply with public regulations, e.g., by struc- turing the process and to include descriptions where and how to use Living Lab meth- odology as well as to clarify linkages to other established design approaches. The paper concludes that future research needs to better understand the linkages between entrepreneurship and design research, e.g., towards design-driven innovation and user experience design.
Speakers
Justus von Geibler
Wuppertal Institute, Research Unit Innovation Labs

Justus von Geibler
Wuppertal Institute, Research Unit Innovation Labs
Dr. Justus von Geibler co-leads the research unit Innovation Labs in the Division of Sustainable Production and Consumption at the Wuppertal Institute in Germany. Based on more than 20 years of professional experience in sustainable assessment and innovation, his research focuses on sustainability standards, sustainability innovations in value chains, open innovation in companies, and living labs. He coordinates the collaboration between the Wuppertal Institute and Climate-KIC. He holds a PhD in Economic Geography from the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, a Master's in Forest Sciences from the University of Göttingen, Germany, and a Master's in Environmental Management and Policy from the University of Lund, Sweden. He has taught natural resource management, sustainability in global value chains, and sustainable supply chain management at Leuphana University Lüneburg, the University of Wuppertal, and other universities. Justus is the author of several books and over 100 scientific publications.
Julius Piwowar
Wuppertal Institute

Julius Piwowar
Wuppertal Institute
Julius Piwowar works as a research fellow at the Wuppertal Institute in the research group ”Innovation Labs” of the division “Sustainable Production and Consumption” since 2018. He holds a double Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from Karlskrona University (Sweden) and Sustainability Economics and Management from University Oldenburg (Germany). As a research fellow he works on business model development of Living Lab services and prototype development of digital assistance systems for sustainable lifestyles e.g. in context of shopping, mobility and living. Julius is particularly interested in design research focusing on aesthetics, user experience design methodologies and its opportunities for sustainability and open innovation development.
Facilitate innovation and collective intelligence through play
by Yves Zieba and Isis Gouédard
Track: Innovation Papers
Keywords:
- Boundary objects
- Collective innovation
- Collective intelligence
- Digital fabrication revolution
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Inclusive and participatory approach
- Living Lab tools
- Natural Resources
- Economic and social value creation
- Mission Innovation
- Gamified tools and technics
- Inclusive mindset
- Co-creation and co-construction
- Quadruple helix
- Multi-sensory experience
Abstract. While companies, universities, citizen and governments become aware about the Sustainable Development Goals, they are confronted with challenges as well. How to set the goals, how to agree on priorities, how to convince everyone, how to mobilise employees or advocates ? That is where our specifically designed methods and gamified tools help stakeholders turn SDGs intentions into action plans. This article relates our experience and gives a taste of our magic recipe and ingredients. Simple game rules and an inclusive climate of trust; openly oriented towards co-construction. These basic principles are the fundamentals of our innovative, inclusive and participatory approach based on the establishment of a permanent dialogue between populations and technical agents, on mutual respect and the principle of partnership, as well as on the recognition of local know-how. We use the concept of boundary objects as a foundation for the pursuit of a common goal and help to minimize or avoid conflicts. Our playful approach combined with our games made of natural materials allows us to highlight the multi-sensory dimension of the experience we offer. By stimulating all the senses, everything makes sense!
Speakers
Yves Zieba
IsYnnov

Yves Zieba
IsYnnov
Isis Gouédard and Yves Zieba are entrepreneurs that have chosen to bring together their experiences and backgrounds into IsYnnov. Their shared vision is to save time for what really matters in life. IsYnnov offers range from co-animation of new formats of playful events and interactive sessions fostering open innovation, co-creation, co-construction and collective intelligence methodologies. Isis and Yves have a variety of rich experience and competences in agility, modern management, program and portfolio management, innovation processes, design thinking, self-leadership, team dynamics and group mobilisation. Passionate about sustainable innovation, manufacturing innovation, nature based solutions, strategic agility and gamification, they foster co-creation and ideation through various methods, to find the right balance between social and economic value creation. Their current focus is on improving the governance of smart communities and mobility, while using SDG innovation games amongst other techniques to foster ideas through experience and facilitate co-construction of a sustainable future. They have designed a unique serie of innovation games to make it easier for Living Labs, Fablabs, Innovation spaces to tackle sophisticated challenges and coordinate hands-on education workshops, prototyping and lab experiments. All games animation follow their common core principles: - games mainly produced locally in natural resources (primarily locally sourced wood), - played with like minded stakeholders from the quadruple helix, who want to have an impact socially and economically, - focused on smart communities of interest and values, - keeping their ambition to change attitudes and behaviours, with a crystal clear action plan for their stakeholders.
Isis Gouédard
Co-founder of KoKrea Lab, gamified collective intelligence facilitator

Isis Gouédard
Co-founder of KoKrea Lab, gamified collective intelligence facilitator
Isis Gouédard - Passionate about human interactions and motivations, she helps clients embrace change and derive action plans fostering ideas through experience and games, unleashing the power of collective intelligence. A Genevoise mum-preneur and Senior IT Project manager, she holds a Mathematics Master and Entrepreneurship EMBA from University of Geneva.
Launch Process of a Living Lab and Required Leadership for Practitioners
by Masataka Mori and Kyosuke Sakakura
Track: Full Research
Keywords:
- Process of launch
- Launching
- Components
- Leadership
- Orchestration
Abstract. This research aims to clarify the process to set up living labs and required leadership for its practitioners regardless of social condition each country or community has. Using Forum Virium Helsinki in Finland, High Tech Campus Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Living Labs Taiwan as a case study, data were collected through web surveys and interviews and analysed with Grounded Theory Approach. As a result, research shows three phases of launch process (launch, foundation and involvement) and eight components(theme setting, ecosystem formation, co-creation approach, funding and framework, places and opportunities, media and transmission, citizen-based projects and leadership)are essential to set up a living lab, and five principles with sixteen actions(co-creation, empowerment, exploration, open and fair, and reflection)are required for leaders, which we call “orchestratorship”.
Speakers
Masataka Mori
Research Analyst

Masataka Mori
Research AnalystHe is a research analyst for accumulating information and creation of database to accelerate the social innovation in Japan. Managing a creative platform construction project based on social issues, he has been engaging himself to work on research, analysis and concept design for innovation platform construction using interviews, field work and other ethnographic research methods
Kyosuke Sakakura
Associate Professor

Kyosuke Sakakura
Associate ProfessorBorn in 1972. As a full-time lecturer and associate professor at Tokyo City University and Keio University, he is also a representative of Mita's house which performs place making in the area, and is involved in community development as a researcher and practitioner.
Living Labs need sustainable business models: the Funding Mix Framework to bridge the gap between theory and practice
by Edoardo Gualandi and Flavia Fini
Track: Innovation Papers
Keywords:
- Living Lab
- Financial sustainability
- Long-term viability
- Social value
- Social challenges
- Business model
- Revenue model
Abstract. Living Lab (LL) represents an emerging innovation methodology which has the potential to bring together different actors in a collaborative process to develop solutions to diffuse social problems. Nevertheless, a substantial number of Living Labs struggle to translate the value created into a sustainable revenue model and, thus, they often present an unintended temporary nature. Research about Living Labs is primarily focused on theoretical and methodological aspects, while good practices, especially for what concerns funding, revenue and business modelling, are still under-researched. In this paper, we analyze good practices and critical problems of six LLs from across Europe. Then we apply the previously developed Funding Mix Framework to understand if it can be considered valuable support for LLs to develop a more sustainable revenue model, ensure long term viability and scale up their operations
Sustainable person-centered Living Lab for regional management as extension of Japanese dementia care activities
by Atsunobu Kimura, Mizue Hayashi, Fumiya Akasaka and Masayuki Ihara
Track: Research-in-progress
Keywords:
- Philosophy of person-centred
- Living Lab
- Regional management
- Co-creation
- Sustainability
Abstract. One of the difficulties of Living Labs (LLs) is ensuring their sustainability. Our research focuses on creative person-centred care activities on dementia for 19 years in Omuta city, Japan. We analyzed their sustainable co-creation activities and extracted 3 key functions (pursuing regional philosophy, sharing the philosophy with neighbors and co-creating activities with the neighbors). This paper proposes sustainable LL as regional management method to utilize those 3 key functions. To societally implement the sustainable LL based on Omuta’s philosophy of person-centred (person-centred LL), Omuta future co-creation center was established in collaboration with Omuta local municipality. The center and Omuta local municipality tackle comprehensive regional management through sustainable LL activities.
Speaker
Atsunobu Kimura
NTT Service Evolution Laboratories

Atsunobu Kimura
NTT Service Evolution Laboratories
Dr. Atsunobu Kimura (born in Kyoto, Japan, in Dec. 1977) received M.S. degrees and Ph.D. in Information Science from Nara Institute of Science and Technology in 2003 and 2007, respectively. He has been a researcher at NTT Cyber Space Laboratories since 2003, and NTT Service Evolution Laboratories since 2013, Japan. His research interests include human computer interaction, computer supported cooperative work, user experience design, social design and living labs. He launched Omuta living lab project in Fukuoka, Japan in 2018 and Omuta future co-creation center was started up as general incorporated association in April, 2019. He is a fellow of Kyoto university design innovation consortium, a member of social impact management initiative and a member of Japanese living lab network conference. He invited to panel discussion of social innovation week Shibuya 2018, QUM BLOCS, 2nd Japanese living lab network conference.
The value of participatory approaches in developing energy services
by Joelle Mastelic and Stéphane Genoud
Track: Innovation Paper
Keywords:
- Living Labs
- Energy Services
- Social Marketing
Abstract. How can stakeholders be involved in the development of energy services to increase energy efficiency? What is the optimal process for engagement? This is what has been tested in this Living Lab, which focuses on energy efficiency. This innovation paper is based on several applied research projects. Its objective is to disseminate research results. The advantages of the Living Lab method for developing energy services are highlighted. The main steps of the Living Lab Integrative Process are summarized in a checklist for professionals and includes: (1) Selection of a practice, (2) Identification of barriers, (3) Integration of stakeholders, (4) Development of a pilot, (5) Measurement of results, (6) Communication and dissemination. In conclusion, this vulgarization article facilitates the transition from the local to the global scale by encouraging the development of Living Lab mode initiatives in the energy sector.