Time
14.00 – 15.30
Room
Aria
Chaired by
Susana Filipe
Type of Session
Research Session
Description
Following the evaluation procedure the OLLD evaluation committee has accepted the research papers. All papers reflect on the theme of the conference “LIVING LABS FOR REGENERATIVE FUTURES: Connecting Local and Global Innovation Ecosystems ” and have been classified according to its sub-tracks. These are: TRACK 1: Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges; TRACK 2: Living Labs for Policies, Governance, collaboration and innovation ecosystems; TRACK 3: LLs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement; TRACK 4: Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology; TRACK 5: Living Labs Operation, Methods, Tools, and Impact.
Papers selected by the Evaluation Committee
- Evaluating Living Labs' role in policy domain
- Beyond policy experimentation to political praxis: Citizenship formation through Living Labs
- The role of urban Living Labs in knowledge transfer and replication of experimental solutions for urban proximity
- Understanding tensions within a university campus Living Lab adopting a quintuple helix model
- Co-producing applicable knowledge for mitigating transport-related air pollution: The Living lab approach of the MI-TRAP project
- Beyond the niche: Supporting transformative change in Living Labs with a practice-oriented typology and a management tool
Evaluating Living Labs' role in policy domain
Abstract: Addressing complex societal challenges through public policy increasingly demands a holistic perspective that integrates sectoral and interdisciplinary knowledge in the science-policy-and-society interface. In this context, Living Labs (LLs) have emerged as a policy tool, a research infrastructure and a governance mechanism in the policy domain. Despite their growing relevance, the role of Living Labs within the broader policy landscape remains underexplored. This study aims, first, to analyze how existing LL literature aligns with various stages of the policy cycle. Second, it evaluates selected LL case studies using a combined Theory of Change and Learning Framework to assess the types of evidence generated, as well as the outcomes and policy impacts of their activities. Preliminary findings suggest that Living Labs are most commonly linked to the agenda-setting and policy implementation phases. Additionally, the case study of the KLIMAP Living Lab illustrates its contribution to both tangible outcomes and broader impacts within policy domain.
Key words:Living labs, Policymaking, policy stages, evaluation, impacts
Astha Bhatta
PhD researcher at Delft University of Technology
Astha Bhatta
PhD researcher at Delft University of TechnologyAstha Bhatta is a PhD researcher at Delft University of Technology. Her current research on living labs aims to understand the contribution of living labs in developing climate-resilient land and water systems. Her work is focused on understanding the role of learning within the living lab environment and the effect they can have in the policy landscape. With background in Civil Engineering and Urban Environmental Management, she has interest in the field of innovation, co-creation, learning, climate-adaptation, sustainable transition, and Policy studies.
Beyond policy experimentation to political praxis: Citizenship formation through Living Labs
Abstract: This study reconceptualises Living Labs as democratic spaces for the political formation of citizens, beyond their conventional role as tools for technological experimentation or policy implementation. Drawing on the theoretical framework of deliberation, subjectivation, and praxis, it explores how citizens transition from passive policy recipients to active political subjects through participation in Living Labs. Rather than focusing on institutional outcomes, the study examines how citizens engage in ethical and practical reflection to define public problems, co-create solutions, and enact change within their lived contexts. Methodologically, the study adopts an interpretive, concept-led approach, analysing two Living Lab cases conducted in 2024: a climate disaster alert project and a citizen-led carbon neutrality initiative. These cases illustrate how deliberative and co-creative processes can foster reflexivity, judgement, and transformation. However, the paper also cautions against idealizing participation, highlighting the need to address issues of power, exclusion, and diversity for Living Labs to fulfil their democratic potential. Ultimately, Living Labs are positioned as experimental infrastructures for lived democracy, where publicness is reconstructed through practice and where marginalised voices can articulate new claims to citizenship. This approach aligns with Deweyan pragmatism and affirms democracy as an ongoing process of becoming, not a static institutional form.
Key words: Living Lab, Political Subjectivation, Deliberative Democracy, Citizenship Formation, Co-creation, praxis
Taedong Lee
Underwood Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Yonsei University & Director of the Environment, Energy, and Human Resource Development Center
Taedong Lee
Underwood Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Yonsei University & Director of the Environment, Energy, and Human Resource Development CenterTaedong Lee is Underwood Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Yonsei University, Seoul, and Director of the Environment, Energy, and Human Resource Development Center. He received his BA in Political Science from Yonsei University, MA in Environmental Studies and Urban Planning from Seoul National University, and PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle. Before joining Yonsei, he was an assistant professor at the City University of Hong Kong (2010–2013). His research focuses on sub-national environmental governance, international climate networks, and public policy. His books include Global Cities and Climate Change (2015), Politics of Energy Transition(2021), Climate Change and Cities (2023), and Civic Politics and NGOs (2023). His articles appear in top SSCI journals such as Global Environmental Politics, Policy Sciences, and Policy Studies Journal. Currently, he leads national R&D projects on climate adaptation living labs and transformative climate education.
The role of urban Living Labs in knowledge transfer and replication of experimental solutions for urban proximity
Abstract:This study investigates the role of Urban Living Labs (ULLs) in facilitating knowledge transfer and replicating experimental solutions for urban proximity, drawing on experiences from Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Turkey. The primary aim is to analyze the methodologies and activities through which ULLs contribute to the dissemination and adoption of urban experiments by follower cities across Europe, ensuring the transfer of knowledge and the spread of innovative solutions across diverse regions and contexts. ULLs are examined as spaces for open innovation, knowledge transfer and the replication of experimental methodologies and tools, particularly within the framework of sustainable mobility and urban proximity, as envisioned by the 15-minute city concept. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, including literature analysis, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and case study design. Data analysis involves descriptive individual and comparative cross-case analysis, as well as mapping of solutions and practices for replication. The findings are expected to highlight the potentials and challenges of ULLs in knowledge transfer and the replication of experimental solutions for urban mobility and proximity. Recommendations and an actionable framework will be provided to diverse stakeholders to promote sustainable urban transitions and replicate successful experimental solutions through ULLs.
Key words: Urban Living Labs, experimentation, urban proximity, interactive tools, knowledge transfer, replication
Anastasia Ponomareva
Researcher at Energy Living Lab
Anastasia Ponomareva
Researcher at Energy Living LabAnastasia Ponomareva is a researcher at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (Energy Living Lab@HES-SO), specialising in urban innovation and systemic transitions. With a multidisciplinary background in strategic urban planning and innovation management, her work bridges urban, climate, energy, digital and social transitions. Her expertise also includes the design and coordination of interactive tools, ranging from serious games to digital platforms, aimed at fostering stakeholder engagement and collaborative decision-making. She actively contributes to both national (SWEET Lantern, Smart City for communes, INCIT) and international (MICAD, oPEN Lab, 2ISECAP, Multigination) initiatives focused on sustainable development and experimentation. Currently, her research is centered on the Living Labs methodology and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a focus on co-creating strategies and scaling innovative solutions for resilient and inclusive urban transformations.
Understanding tensions within a university campus Living Lab adopting a quintuple helix model
Abstract:University Campus Living Labs (UCLLs) are emerging as hybrid experimental spaces for addressing complex socio-ecological challenges, yet their implementation reveals a range of structural tensions. This article explores how such tensions manifest in CaLiLab, a UCLL established at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. Drawing on qualitative data from focus groups, interviews, and secondary sources, we apply and expand the place–approach–network framework by incorporating the dynamic dimensions of time and scale. Our analysis highlights three interrelated domains where tensions unfold: the spatial configuration of the campus, the divergent methodological orientations of interdisciplinary research teams, and the complex stakeholder landscape, including the natural environment conceptualized through the Quintuple Helix model. We show how conflicting temporalities, institutional rigidities, and ontological mismatches between social and ecological goals challenge the implementation of inclusive and adaptive Living Lab practices. Rather than treating these tensions as obstacles, we argue they are productive frictions that shape the co-creative process, demanding ongoing negotiation, reflexivity, and learning. By tracing how tensions evolve, this research-in-progress contributes to a better understanding of how UCLLs can support socio-ecological transitions and what governance structures and capacities are required to do so effectively.
Key words: University Campus Living Lab, tensions, place, approach, network
Jarosław Działek
Geographer & Sociologist
Jarosław Działek
Geographer & SociologistJarosław Działek is a geographer and sociologist. He is an associate professor in the Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. His research focuses on the role of social capital in local and regional development, the geography of arts and creativity, and public spaces in university campuses. He is a co-founder of the initiative Kampus+ and a member of the Campus Living Lab project at the Jagiellonian University.
Co-producing applicable knowledge for mitigating transport-related air pollution: The Living lab approach of the MI-TRAP project
Abstract:This paper presents a Living Lab approach to the co-production of knowledge on transport-related air pollution in urban environments, based on the results of the MItigating TRansport-related Air Pollution in Europe (MI-TRAP) project, a HORIZON EUROPE Innovation Action. Recognising the limitations of top-down environmental policy and the need for inclusive, actionable recommendations, this Living Lab approach engages diverse stakeholders through a three-phase process: (1) co-creation of a shared vision and stakeholder identification, (2) participatory validation of proposed solutions, and (3) co-development of policy recommendations. Grounded in theories of co-production and real-world experimentation, the methodology integrates qualitative and quantitative data to facilitate collective learning and decision-making. Preliminary results from the first visioning phase demonstrate strong stakeholder engagement and early consensus on priority areas for intervention. This study contributes to the growing body of literature and field-work on Living Labs by offering a replicable model for addressing complex urban sustainability challenges through participatory innovation and transdisciplinary collaboration, specifically towards tackling transport-related air pollution.
Key words: Living Labs, Air Quality, Transport Emissions, European cities, Socio-technical Innovation, MI-TRAP Project
Georgia Tseva
Research Associate, AMARANTHUS
Georgia Tseva
Research Associate, AMARANTHUSGeorgia Tseva is a Political Science and Public Administration graduate from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a Master’s degree in Applied Geography and Spatial Planning (Harokopio University / KU Leuven). She is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Innovation and Governance in Spatial Planning (Harokopio University) while serving as a Research Associate at the University of Thessaly and AMARANTHUS. Her current research focuses on transformative climate solutions, while her broader expertise spans all stages of social research, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and academic teaching. Georgia also has extensive experience with EU-funded projects and brings strong skills in communication, analysis, project management, and corporate sustainability.
Beyond the niche: Supporting transformative change in Living Labs with a practice-oriented typology and a management tool
Abstract: Living labs (LL) are critical instruments for accelerating socio-technical transitions by fostering experimentation, learning, and systemic innovation, particularly at the level of socio-technical niches used in core Transition Studies (TS) approaches. A robust framework, capturing systemic innovation processes and the diffusion of knowledge, is required to develop a comprehensive understanding of factors and dynamics affecting LL in transition processes. The authors have used TS concepts from innovation systems and strategic niche management, combined with learning and knowledge diffusion theories, to develop a theoretical framework for barriers, enablers and impact factors influencing LL, with the aim of using it to synthesize findings from a systematic literature review. The aim is to identify overarching (meta)factors shaping the success of LLs in driving transformative change in the structural (actors, institutions, technologies) and process (context, inputs, processes, governance, outputs and outcomes) dimensions. Supplementing the theoretical work is the planned development of a management tool supporting the design, implementation, and scaling of LLs to increase their success and impact beyond the niche. This article describes the current state of the ongoing research, detailing the components and ongoing development of the theoretical framework, the methodology of the systematic literature review, initial findings and next steps.
Key words: Living Lab, Transition, Barriers, Enablers, Meta-Factors, Knowledge
Anton Sentic
Living Lab and Transitions Researcher, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)
Anton Sentic
Living Lab and Transitions Researcher, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)Anton Sentic is a Living Lab and Transitions researcher working at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Currently leading/co-leading LL methodology work packages in the SWEET SWICE and SWEET Lantern energy research consortia, he is also acting as scientific co-lead of the WinLab LL in Winterthur and advisor to several Swiss Living Labs. In parallel with his current work with Living Labs, Anton is also an active member of the Sustainable Transitions Research community, having co-founded the NEST early career Transitons Researcher Network and serving as a member of the STRN Steering Group since 2019. Holding a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Environmental System Sciences with a focus on sustainable business management, as well as a PhD in Innovation Studies from the University of Greenwich, Anton’s main research interests lie in the intersection between Living Lab research and (sustainable) system transition processes, focusing on the role of LL in large-scale transitions and, on the practical side, the development and utilization of management tools and concepts in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of innovation processes in LL.