DATE & TIME
30 September 2026, 11:00 – 12:15
TRACKS
TRACK 5: Living Labs Operation, Methods, Tools, and Impact
ROOM
Stanley
TYPE OF SESSION
Roundtable
Description
This panel session tackles a common challenge across the Living Lab community: why do so many promising solutions struggle to scale beyond the pilot phase? Despite strong co-creation processes and successful local experimentation, collaboration with industry and other key actors often remains limited, slowing down wider adoption and impact. Bringing together perspectives from the Digital Urban Systems and Solutions Working Group and the Transition Super Living Labs Working Group, this session will explore where and why scaling efforts break down. Through a moderated exchange, panelists will challenge assumptions, share experiences, and identify gaps in collaboration between Living Labs and industry.
Agenda
Speakers
Wim De Kinderen
Programme Director European Affairs Brainport Eindhoven, EU Office, Chairman of ENoLL
Wim De Kinderen
Programme Director European Affairs Brainport Eindhoven, EU Office, Chairman of ENoLLWim De Kinderen is a EU affairs professional, representing the City of Eindhoven, Brainport Development, and regional stakeholders at the Brainport Eindhoven EU Office in Brussels. With expertise in policy lobbying, strategic communication, and project development, he plays a key role in advancing the region’s interests within European institutions and networks. He has a strong background in regional development, having held senior roles in Belgium’s socio-economic policy landscape, and holds master's degrees in international politics, European Politics, and Public Management. Wim is fluent in Dutch, French and English, and actively engaged in networks such as ENoLL, Vanguard Initiative, Eurocities, ERRIN and OASC.
Dr. Yousra Sidqi
Research Group Leader, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Dr. Yousra Sidqi
Research Group Leader, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and ArtsDr. Yousra Sidqi is a lecturer and research group leader in energy communities and data analytics at the Institute of Electrical Engineering at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Switzerland. Her work focuses on smart energy systems, local energy markets, citizen-centered energy transitions, and data-driven approaches for sustainable power systems. She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Grenoble Alpes, where she specialized in fractal analysis of power grids. Dr. Sidqi leads and coordinates several national and international research projects in energy communities, living labs, and renewable energy integration.
Josep Maria Salanova Grau
Principal Researcher, CERTH/HIT
Josep Maria Salanova Grau
Principal Researcher, CERTH/HITDr. Josep Maria Salanova Grau is a Principal Researcher at the Hellenic Institute of Transport/Center for Research and Technology Hellas where he leads the operations research and data analysis laboratory supporting the Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab. He is a former member of the Board of Directors at the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), where he currently leads the mobility working group. His expertise includes transport modelling, ITS and cooperative ITS, Operations Research for optimizing passenger and freight transport and Data Science. He accounts for more than 60 journal publications, 18 book chapters, more than 200 conference papers and more than 2000 citations in google scholar.
Merit Tatar
Member Executive Board, Institute of Baltic Studies
Merit Tatar
Member Executive Board, Institute of Baltic StudiesMerit Tatar, PhD, is a senior analyst and member of the executive board at the Institute of Baltic Studies in Estonia, Tartu. She has worked for over a decade on Living Lab and co-creation processes in several smart-city and energy-transition projects, including SmartEnCity, oPEN Lab and ClimaGen. Merit represents the ClimaGen Tartu Living Lab and brings to the panel practical experience of the barriers that keep promising local solutions from reaching wider use, as well as a strong interest in learning how others are addressing this challenge.