Living Labs

LLs are “user-driven open innovation ecosystem based on business-citizens-government partnership which enables users to take active part in the research, development and innovation process” (European Commission, 2009). The LL approach is widely applied in diverse areas and flexible to adapt to particular actors, activities, and design. LLs are based on the participation of a wide array of actors, with particular focus on users/citizens, real-life setting ensuring the realism of behaviours and practices, and co-creation, being both the result of LL situation and the means of developing new solutions and products (von Wirth et al. 2019).

We adopt a living lab approach to co-create, explore, experiment and evaluate with local stakeholders supporting a transition towards a more diverse local food system. The user-centred open innovation ecosystem not only translates the results into practice, but also experiments with potential solutions and future scenarios. Living labs nourish the whole project with diverse stakeholders’ and actors’ perspectives, options, practices and ideals.

Our activities concerning Living Labs are coordinated by the Institute of Sociology at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.
They aim at:

  • Setting up innovation spaces based on already existing alternative food networks,
  • Developing, testing and experimenting with particular diversity-oriented solutions and practices in local food systems and explore their sustainability potential,
  • Providing long-term social, economic and environmental impact of FOOdIVERSE
  • Establishing links between Living Labs in 5 European countries to exchange knowledge and good practices.

The project was co-financed by the NCBR, BMEL, MIPAAF, RCN and DEFRA within the framework of ERA-NET SUSFOOD and ERA-NET CORE Organic Cofund Joint Call program