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Central European Living Lab for Territorial Innova.. (CentraLab)
Central European Living Lab for Territorial Innovation
(CentraLab)
Start date: Apr 30, 2011,
End date: Apr 29, 2014
PROJECT
FINISHED
The systemic impact on the economy, the environment and the quality of life in the Central European regions derives from the increase in the “innovation attractiveness” of the Central Europe space, as it develops and articulates the innovation demand coming from its citizens and businesses and sets in place the governance mechanisms to ensure policy coherence and optimise the benefits of single initiatives.Living Labs (LLs), first experimented at MIT in 2003 “to study people and their interaction with new technologies in a living environment”, have since gained a specifically European dimension based on the co-design of innovative ICT services in local and regional communities. The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), launched by the Finnish EU Presidency in December 2006, has become a pillar of the European Innovation Strategy and now counts 212 LLs throughout the EU and abroad.The project CentraLAB aims to transform Central Europe into a broad-reaching laboratory for innovation, including the social and organisational as well as technological dimensions. CentraLab thus aims to clarify the competitive advantage of a new model of innovation that draws on Central Europe’s deep, common cultural heritage to strengthen territorial cohesion, promote internal integration and enhance competitiveness through reciprocal learning and partnership building. CentraLab is based on a promising approach that has emerged in the arena of ICT under the name “Living Lab”. In this model, technology R&D brings infrastructures into real-life contexts to enable a “co-design” process with end users.CentraLab adopts a bottom-up approach towards construction of the transnational, multi-level governance structure. Its networking philosophy is action-oriented while organic and open, using the pilot method to achieve a stable, sustainable configuration. Achievements: Central Europe project CentraLab has dedicated last six months of work to identifying potential CE (Central Europe) regions which could adapt Living Lab principles, with an aim to introduce and integrate living lab methodology into already existing innovation structures, who are searching for new innovation approaches. Findings and conclusions of living Lab potentials are presented in Policy Briefing Regional Living Lab potentials document, structured from 3 parts. First part of the document takes into consideration specific living lab potential of participating regions. Second part of the document explains historical background, structural issues and mentality issues which influence on development and operation of innovation structures in CE space. Third part explains Living Lab methodology recommendations, which can help existing structures to overcome described obstacles rooting from historical background, structural issues and mentality issues. Policy recommendations are targeting stakeholders in innovative development initiatives and regional policy makers in the related fields. In the framework of project, an example of regional innovation approach was also very well introduced on International seminar in Dornbirn in Austria. On seminar titled „Shaping the Vorarlberg Green Model Region”, several regional initiatives presented activities and plans which will contribute to final aim of the region Vorarlberg to become energy self- sufficient. Initiatives explained their innovative approaches of involving citizens in to shaping their idea of developing green model region. Initiatives are involving citizens with so called „co-creation process”-”people are deciding what ideas are worth supporting – they demonstrated how living lab approach can be used. With help of „co-creation process” of regional stakeholder groups, work on specific pilot project fields is continuing, partners are paying special attention also to use of innovative ICT technologies, to widely promote and reach people in the region. Partners prepared short descriptions of the ICT platforms and services and the living lab co-design processes to be developed for each of the relevant sectors in the framework of the pilot projects. For introducing living lab approach on regional policy levels, partner have prepared a template of Memoranda of understanding upon which specific memoranda will be agreed between partners and involved regional policy makers to assure long term devotion to implementation of pilot projects.