OpenLivingLab Days is the flagship annual event organized by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). It is the global gathering of international Living Labs that brings together living labbers, public officials, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, and innovators from around the world. The event offers a unique platform for networking, exchanging best practices, and collaborating on cutting-edge projects and for reflecting on the latest trends and how to shape the future.
The 2024 edition of OpenLivingLab Days will be held in Timișoara, Romania from 24-27 September 2024. It is our pleasure to announce that the event will be co-organized with West University of Timișoara, the host of Digital and Green Living Lab.
The theme of this year’s event, “ LIVING LABS FRONTIERS: Driving systemic change through Soci(et)al Engagement, for real impact” explores how Living Labs can drive meaningful societal systemic change through active engagement and collaboration.
During the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in various interactive and research sessions, workshops, and site visits and explore how Living Labs can serve as platforms for addressing grand societal challenges, discuss about the vital roles of Living Labs in shaping policy-making and governance within innovation ecosystems, examine how Living Labs can become vehicles for fostering inclusive engagement across diverse groups, investigate how Living Labs serve as crucial platforms that help businesses and society adopt and adapt to emerging technologies and delve into the operational aspects of Living Labs, including their tools, services, business models, and impact.
The conference will delve into the five different tracks that form the core of the event:
Conference tracks
This track welcomes sessions and papers that delve into how Living Labs can serve as platforms for addressing challenges related to health and well-being, climate change, energy and transport, agriculture, and natural resources. Discussions will focus on the transformative potential of Living Labs, which act as drivers for systemic change. By fostering collaboration and innovation, Living Labs provide an opportunity to co-create, test, and implement innovative solutions. This track will explore the transformative potential of Living Labs in tackling complex societal challenges and promoting sustainable and inclusive development.
The track emphasizes the vital roles of Living Labs in shaping policy-making and governance within innovation ecosystems. This track welcomes sessions and papers that delve into how Living Labs facilitate policy experimentation, enabling policymakers to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of new policies in real-world settings. Additionally, it explores how Living Labs contribute to the governance of innovation ecosystems by fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Therefore, this track aims to further discussions on the crucial role of Living Labs in promoting evidence-based, iterative, and collaborative approaches to policy-making and governance within innovation ecosystems.
Track 3 places emphasis on how Living Labs can become vehicles for fostering inclusive engagement across diverse groups, including those related to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), gender, citizen engagement strategies, and citizen science. The track welcomes sessions and papers that discuss how Living Labs can be designed, implemented, and evaluated to amplify voices that are often marginalized or underrepresented, ensuring that the outcomes of Living Labs initiatives are reflective of society’s broader diversity. Gender dynamics, in particular, will be a focal point, with discussions on how Living Labs can contribute to breaking down gender barriers in innovation and fostering environments that are inclusive and accessible to all. By nurturing inclusivity in Living Labs, the track aims to promote systemic change, recognizing the transformative potential of these environments in addressing societal challenges in ways that are equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
The conference track titled “Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology” focuses on how Living Labs serve as crucial platforms that help businesses and society adopt and adapt to emerging technologies. This track welcomes sessions and papers that delve into Living Labs can accelerate the development of new technologies, focusing on strategies to prepare these labs for emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Discussions will also address the concept of Living Labs as Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) and regulatory sandboxes, allowing for the safe and controlled testing of new technologies in real-world environments. Moreover, the track explores how Living Labs support business and industry, serving as platforms for innovation and collaboration between stakeholders. In addition, the track will also discuss how Living Labs can contribute to the derisking of innovation and the early adoption of emerging technologies by providing a controlled and collaborative environment for testing and validation.
The conference track titled “Living Labs Operation, Methods, Tools, and Impact” explores the operational aspects of Living Labs, including their tools, services, business models, and the measurement of their impact. This track welcomes sessions and papers that examine how Living Labs are structured and managed, the types of services they provide, the types of tools they use, and the business models they employ. Discussions will also address the harmonization of Living Labs services to ensure that they are compatible and interoperable with other services. Through these discussions, the track aims to provide insights into the operational aspects of Living Labs and their impact on innovation, economic development, and society, positioning along the whole R&I ecosystems value chain.
The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) is the international, non-profit, independent association of benchmarked Living Labs.
