DATE & TIME
30 September 2026, 15:45 – 17:00
TRACKS
TRACK 5: Living Labs Operation, Methods, Tools, and Impact
ROOM
Marble
TYPE OF SESSION
Topic Debate
Description
How can Living Labs turn local experimentation into lasting impact? This session explores how agriculture, food systems and rural development Living Labs can scale successful initiatives, strengthen collaboration across their ecosystems, and develop meaningful approaches to impact assessment.
Through practical experiences, interactive debate, and diverse stakeholder perspectives, participants will discuss how Living Labs in these themes can support resilient, inclusive and sustainable transitions for greater impact.
Agenda
| Timeslot | Item | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 15:45 – 15:55 | Welcome and introduction | Moderator to be confirmed |
| 15:55 – 16:10 | Keynote | To be confirmed |
| 16:10 – 16:30 | Experiences from the Living Labs | Lorenzo Labellarte (CIHEAM); Reindert Devlamynck (Inagro Living Lab); Susana Filipe (Montado Living Lab); Pietro Iavazzo (ERSAF) |
| 16:30 – 16:50 | Debate | All speakers and audience |
| 16:50 – 17:00 | Audience Q&A and closing reflections | All speakers |
Speakers
Reindert Devlamynck
Research Leader Energy and Circular Economy, and Living Lab Coordinator, Living Lab Inagro
Reindert Devlamynck
Research Leader Energy and Circular Economy, and Living Lab Coordinator, Living Lab Inagro
Reindert Devlamynck works for Inagro, the applied research and advisory centre for agriculture and horticulture in Flanders, Belgium.
He was involved in the foundation and establishment of the Living Lab Circularity of Inagro in 2020. In 2026 this evolved into a merged Living Lab of Inagro focusing on innovative farming systems, covering areas such as greenhouse horticulture and soil health.
His role in the Living Lab is to structure its activities and to support and educate colleagues in reaching the highest quality of multi-actor approach.
Dr Susana Filipe
Executive Director, CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability
Dr Susana Filipe
Executive Director, CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and SustainabilityDr Susana Filipe has an academic background in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Polymer Engineering and Science. Since 2023 she is the Executive Director of CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability, an Associated Laboratory that brings together over 300 researchers from three distinct R&D centers: MED, CE3C, and CENSE, located in Portugal. Under her leadership, CHANGE is dedicated to conducting scientific research that informs public policy and evaluates national science policy from an integrated sustainability perspective. Susana's expertise spans both corporate and academic environments. Her career includes key managerial and leadership roles in multinational corporations and academia, focusing on the chemical industry, sustainability, and the environment. For over a decade, she has served as an expert for the European Commission, where she reviews and monitors proposals and projects for various Horizon calls within her fields of expertise. Since 2024, Susana has co-coordinated the Montado Living Lab, a project certified by the European Network of Living Labs. This initiative focuses on developing and promoting sustainable practices to improve soil health, restore tree cover, and foster ecological and socio-economic balance within the Montado agro-forestry-pastoral system.
Pietro Iavazzo
Head of Research and European Projects, Department of Agriculture, ERSAF
Pietro Iavazzo
Head of Research and European Projects, Department of Agriculture, ERSAF
Pietro Iavazzo is an environmental agronomist and PhD specialist in soil chemistry at ERSAF, the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Forestry Services of Lombardy, where he heads the Research and European Projects unit.
With nearly twenty years of experience spanning academic research, environmental remediation and EU project management, his work focuses on soil health monitoring, carbon farming and precision agriculture. At ERSAF he coordinates field experiments, regional soil monitoring networks and international partnerships under LIFE and Horizon programmes.
He is also responsible for the Living Lab “Innovative and Sustainable Models for Soil Health”, which operates within Lombardy’s AKIS framework to co-design and validate sustainable soil management practices with farmers and research institutions.