Living Labs for user -driven open innovation

The European Commission is organising a Living Labs Information Event, to be held in Brussels on Wednesday, 14 January 2009, at 10:30-17:30 hrs.

This event will provide opportunities to exchange Living Labs related information, potentially relevant in the context of the FP7 ICT 4th and 5th Calls for Proposals, and for the CIP ICT-PSP (ICT Policy Support Programme) 3rd Call, all foreseen for 2009.

Through partnerships between citizens, businesses and public authorities, the Living Labs model allows people and industries to test tomorrow's best innovations in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). The Living  Labs model includes end-user participation from an early stage of the creative process of technology development. As a result, evaluating aspects such as social and economic implications of new technologies has become more accurate. So the needs of users are better listened to and fulfilled.

The Living Labs model benefits citizens, industry and research

Living Labs empower citizens , as end-users, to influence the development of innovative services & products that eventually could benefit the whole society.

Living Labs allow industry to develop , validate and integrate new ideas, to partner with other companies and to increase their chances of success during product and/or service launches.

Living Labs facilitate the integration of technological innovation in society and increase return on investments in ICT research .

Living Labs across domains and regions

There is a large number of Living Labs in Europe with a variety of different characteristics. The European Network of Living Labs ENoLL has now more than 100 members in 2008. Some focus on a particular technology such as mobile communications or RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification), others focus on a particular industrial sector, again others focus on groups of services to local citizens, just to mention some of these characteristics.

There is an additional dimension – the European one, which is just starting to be explored: Small groups of Living Labs in different regions join forces by sharing knowledge, services and even developments based on win-win strategies to pave the way for co-selling developments and services on the European or global market rather than just on their local regional market. This "networked Living Labs" approach is of particular interest for SMEs and micro-entrepreneurs, which do not have the expertise and resources to expand their activities to other regions or across Europe due to different structural characteristics, regulations, or societal and economic structures in the respective regions and countries. Please find some typical examples:

Healthcare

Rural and developing areas

Democracy and governance

Energy efficiency

Living Labs have in general an important role in filling gaps. They bridge the different gaps between technology ideation and development on the one hand, and market entry and fulfilment on the other. As flexible ecosystems, Living Labs can provide a demand-driven 'concurrent innovation' approach by iteratively engaging all the key actors across the phases, and putting the user in the driver's seat. Living Labs often start their bridging in the applied research phase. Taking the step from technology prototypes for innovative and visionary users to evolving products for pragmatic and mainstream user, also called crossing the "pre-commercial gap" or "chasm", is the major acting field for Living Labs as iterative user involvement adds significant value to the rapid prototyping and service/product development phases 

Policy context

Driven by the i2010 Policy Framework,  (details about user driven open innovation of Living Labs in the context of i2010) the promotion and support of user-driven open innovation methodology is a horizontal activity in the Directorate General Information Society and Media cutting across: the different challenges under the ICT priority of

the different challenges under the ICT priority of the Co-operation programme of the EU 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7), (details about user driven open innovation of Living Labs in the context of the EU 7th FWP)

the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) (details about user driven open innovation of Living Labs in the context of CIP)

Other actions of the European Commission

In addition, there are potential opportunities for the involvement of Living Labs in the FP7 Capacities programme for Research Infrastructures managed by DG Research, and in the Interreg IVc Programme managed by DG Regional Policy. Related to the latter case, Living Labs have demonstrated that they can be instrumental in promoting research, technological development and innovation in innovative regions. There are important links to Living Labs also in the innovation policy activities of DG Enterprise and Industry. Finally, a DG Information Society and Media study on impacts and benefits ensuing from Living Labs delivers their findings in 2008.

LIVING LABS Web Site