Call for Papers: Special Issue on Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs 

The peer-reviewed open access journal Sustainability is inviting submissions for a Special Issue titled “Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs” focusing on how Living Labs can generate meaningful outcomes and contribute to systemic change in response to today’s most pressing societal challenges. 

This call for papers builds on discussions initiated during the 2024 edition of OpenLivingLab Days in Timisoara, where the need to explore sustainable impact and systemic change through Living Labs was strongly emphasized. It now continues as a dedicated Special Issue, aligned with the thematic areas of the upcoming 2025 edition of OpenLivingLab Days in Andorra (30 September – 3 October).                                                                   

While selected contributions from the conference may be invited for publication, submissions are also welcomed from researchers and practitioners beyond the event whose work fits within the scope of the issue.  

To illustrate the kind of high-impact research this Special Issue is gathering, readers can explore one of the published articles. This article has won the Full Research Paper prize at OLLD24: https://tinyurl.com/4m4khsy4 . 

Scope and Topics 

The Special Issue covers five main thematic areas: 

• Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges 
  (health and wellbeing, climate change, mobility, energy, food systems, etc.) 

• Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems 

• Living Labs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement 

• Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology 

• Living Labs Operations, Methods, Tools, and Impacts 

Authors are encouraged to explore how Living Labs create sustainable impact, foster multi-stakeholder collaboration, and influence innovation ecosystems. 

Guest Editors 

The Special Issue is edited by a team of leading Living Lab researchers and practitioners: 

• Prof. Dr. Dimitri Schuurman (imec-mict-UGent, Ghent University) 

• Dr. Valentino Piana (Energy Living Lab, Institute of Energy and Environment, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland) 

• Dr. Abdolrasoul Habibipour (Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology) 

• Dr. Teemu Santonen (RDI Department, Laurea Universities of Applied Sciences) 

• Dr. Sebastian Stefaniga (Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, West University of Timisoara) 

Submission Guidelines 

• Journal: Sustainability (MDPI), peer-reviewed and open access 

• Final Deadline: Rolling submissions accepted until 10 November 2025 

• Peer Review: Single-blind process 

• Article Processing Charge (APC): 2400 CHF 

• Optional: Authors may submit a title and abstract (approx. 100 words) for early feedback 

To submit a manuscript, register and upload via the journal platform: www.mdpi.com 

More information is available on  https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/767L303535 .  

Why Submit? 

• Increased discoverability and citation through topical grouping 

• Greater visibility within the Living Lab and sustainability communities 

• Promotion through MDPI’s communication channels and social platforms 

• Eligibility for republication as part of an MDPI book series 

For questions or additional information, please contact the editorial team via the journal website or [email protected].