ARCA LIVING LAB is part of an overall strategy to promote the birth and development of entrepreneurial initiatives that enhance the results achieved by the research centers operating in Sicily and, more in general, to favor innovation and technology transfer towards the Sicilian production system and society.
We offer a set of complementary services as part of an articulated incubation methodology. The approach adopted is that of a multilevel network capable of providing, in addition to logistical support, targeted support actions, and access to industrial and financial relations. Advanced prototyping laboratories allow companies to conduct pre-industrial development activities at low costs and with the support of highly specialized personnel.

ARCA LL is part of this strategy and it has been meant to move research results and innovation out of university labs involving multiple stakeholders and make them visible and easily accessible to people and to citizens.

The LL was born from the long experience of having hosted the Territorial Living Lab for the Sicilian Region, with the objective to use ICT to develop innovative means of participatory strategic co-planning and territorial self-governance, under the assumption that citizen co-responsibility and ownership, awareness of context and implications of choices, and monitoring of the impacts of decisions taken can together finally generate models for sustainable spatial development.

Through its experience in TLL, ARCA has developed and implemented the model of two thematic Living Lab initiatives, the Solar Lab (SoLL) and the Textile & Clothing Living Lab. Both of them gather the competence achieved at the local and international level in the two sectors, the multi-actor partnership involved and the supply chain players sensitized and empowered.

SOLL, in front of the premises of Consorzio ARCA, in Palermo, within the University campus, with its 3000 sqm of extension, is the first pilot plant in Europe developed in urban settings, based on the concentrating mirrors technology, which is able to provide electricity, heat, and cooling for multiple uses. The field is mainly devoted to the demonstration and testing of new solar components and technologies; it is open to all the citizens for visits, in order to let them access the site, receive explanations about the technologies applied, and raise social challenges for which they would need solutions

T&C LL  aims to reduce the gap between SMEs and R&D issues.

It addresses to the issues of Fashion Technology with a more inclusive and co-design approach that aims to produce a lasting and sustainable impact on the territory, offering a space where exploring the emerging opportunities of the new “Making Economy” (e.g. personal robotics, home production, etc.); redirecting the capacities of “old artisans” and family workers (or “fasonists”) and re-connecting their knowledge with e.g. new entrepreneurs, young and creative people; and taking full advantage of the benefits of Future Internet technologies for the T&C global supply chain (diffused e-commerce networks, IoT tracking systems, virtual warehouses, customer engagement, etc.) in the light of a new customer-driven approach based on market intelligence.

The expertise of the Living Lab

ARCA Living Lab is a physical space where encouraging and make possible to discuss ideas and projects, meet people and collaborators, with formal and informal cooperation methodologies. The Lab provides also a unique testbed for testing and tuning systems through the teamwork of professionals from the research, professional and industrial world.

Projects Living Lab is working on or has worked on:

STS-Med (ENPI CBC MED),

ZERO-PLUS (Horizon 2020),

TCBL (Horizon 2020)

ReFREAM (Horizon 2020),

CreativeWEAR (Interreg MED)

CWEAR+ (Interreg MED)

EIT HEALTH

CO.ART ( Interreg Italie Tunisie)

ALLER( Interreg Italie Tunisie)