Measuring impact & Evaluating success: A recap of the final training session for Living Labs

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

The sixth and final webinar of the EVOLVE2CARE Training Series for Living Labs took place on 19 September 2025, with a focus on measuring impact and scaling pilots. This session, titled “Measuring Impact & Evaluating Success”, was led by Prof. Dr. Dimitri Schuurman, Senior Research Strategist at the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL).

Key takeaways from the session

Understanding Living Lab characteristics

Prof. Schuurman emphasized the core elements that define a Living Lab, which include:

  • Multi-stakeholder: Living Labs engage a diverse group of stakeholders, including researchers, businesses, governments, and end-users. This broad collaboration ensures that innovation is inclusive and relevant to all parties involved.
  • Active user involvement: Ensuring the continuous feedback of users throughout the innovation process, from idea generation to final implementation.
  • Orchestration: Orchestration refers to the strategic coordination of all actors in the Living Lab. By aligning the interests and expertise of different stakeholders, Living Labs facilitate effective collaboration and drive the innovation process forward.
  • Co-Creation: Involving all relevant stakeholders in the design and development processes.
  • Real-Life Setting: Unlike traditional laboratories, Living Labs test solutions in real environments, which increases the relevance and applicability of the results.
  • Multi-Method Approach: Each Living Lab adapts its methods based on the problem and stakeholders involved, blending exploratory and confirmatory approaches.

Impact Models and Measuring Outcomes

One of the central frameworks discussed during the session was the Impact Model. This model is essential for understanding how to track the effectiveness of Living Labs over time. It incorporates the Theory of Change, which categorizes results into:

  • Input: Resources and efforts that go into the project.
  • Process: The activities and interactions that drive the project forward.
  • Output (Short-Term): Direct deliverables and tangible results produced immediately after implementation.
  • Outcome (Medium-Term): The effects of those outputs on the targeted stakeholders or systems.
  • Impact (Long-Term): The ultimate, lasting change or influence of the project, contributing to broader societal goals.

This model helps Living Labs track not just the immediate outputs, but also the long-term impacts, offering a roadmap for continuous improvement.


Living Lab Assessment Method


To effectively evaluate the impact of Living Lab projects, the Living Lab Assessment Method was introduced. It is designed to measure the effectiveness across six key areas:

  • Skill Capacity Enhancement
  • Instrumental Capacity Enhancement
  • Network Capacity Enhancement
  • Knowledge Capacity Enhancement
  • Agenda Setting
  • Real Solution Generation

These indicators are critical for understanding how well a Living Lab is contributing to innovation and systemic change in its targeted sector.
A heartfelt thank you to all participants who joined us for the six-part EVOLVE2CARE Training Program for Living Labs led by ENoLL from June to September 2025. Your engagement and contributions made this series a great success. In the coming weeks, all the session recordings will be made available at the ENoLL Living Labbers Academy, so you can revisit the valuable insights shared throughout the program. We look forward to continuing the journey of innovation with you!

What makes a Living Lab official? Highlights from the 5th webinar

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

On September 10, 2025, the EVOLVE2CARE Training Series for Living Labs continued with its fifth session, focusing on one of the most defining aspects of Living Labs: certification and standardization. Delivered by Gabriella Quaranta and Alessandra Tricarico of the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), the session unpacked not only the why of certification, but also the how—from evaluation frameworks and tools, to good practices and lessons learned.

Why certification matters

As Gabriella Quaranta explained, ENoLL certification for Living Labs is widely regarded as a global standard for user-driven innovation, reflecting a structural and methodological assessment of their maturity as an innovation ecosystem.

Harmonization: What is it?

A central theme of the session was harmonization. Gabriella Quaranta highlighted that ENoLL has developed a structured and comprehensive system to assess the maturity, sustainability, and impact of Living Labs. By harmonizing evaluations, ENoLL ensures consistency and quality assurance, while also providing guidance for improvement, enabling global collaboration, transparency, and accountability, and strengthening long-term sustainability.

This harmonized evaluation framework is built around six evaluation chapters, covering:

  • Strategy: Examines macro-level issues such as multi-stakeholder participation, the orchestration role of the Living Lab, collaboration strategies, and its overall business model.
  • Users & reality: Looks at collaboration with users, levels of engagement, and participation, with emphasis on iterative processes in real-life contexts and the correct use of tools and methods.
  • Operations: Evaluates how a Living Lab manages its operations, including infrastructure, equipment, and human resources.
  • Openness: Reviews the openness of processes, partnerships, and projects, as well as practices for feedback and intellectual property protection.
  • Value & Impact: Focuses on the development of co-created values and the identification of impact clusters generated by the Living Lab for its stakeholders.
  • Stability & Scale-up: Assesses financial and organizational stability, long-term sustainability, and the replication of strategies and practices across ecosystems.

Together, these chapters translate into 15 evaluation criteria, forming the backbone of certification.

Tools for Evaluation: Self-assessment and qualitative application

Certification is supported by two complementary tools, as Alessandra Tricarico pointed:

Self-Assessment Tool: A quantitative instrument that allows Livin Labs to assess their maturity and sustainability and following that gives them a customized evaluation report.

Qualitative Application Form: A narrative-based tool where applicants describe governance structures, business plans, internal and external communication, human resources, projects, available equipment and infrastructure, innovation partnerships and processes, and ownership of results. It is limited to 20 pages (plus annexes) and allows supplementary materials. Here, evaluators look not only at facts but also at the story of the Living Lab’s vision and practice.

By combining these two, certification captures both hard data and contextual insights, ensuring fairness, depth, and comparability.

Tips & good practices

To help applicants succeed, the speakers shared practical advice drawn from years of experience evaluating Living Labs:

  • Spend enough time preparing a proper assessment and compiling all supporting material.
  • Start working in advance, avoiding last-minute submissions.
  • In the qualitative application form, answer each question, keep responses to one page (excluding visuals), and ensure all documents are in English.
  • Provide a clear explanation of governance structures.
  • Prepare a business plan that transparently presents future strategies.
  • Detail human resources, specifying who is involved, in what roles, and with what expertise.
  • Describe equipment and infrastructure, emphasizing availability and access.
  • Highlight collaboration strategies, showing how diverse stakeholders are engaged beyond single-project contexts.

These tips underscored the importance of thoroughness, clarity, and forward-looking planning in the application process

What’s next?

The EVOLVE2CARE Training Series will conclude with its final webinar: “Measuring Impact & Evaluating Success” on September 24, 2025, at 15:00 CEST. This closing session will guide participants in defining key performance indicators (KPIs), assessing service design, and measuring the broader impact of Living Lab activities.

Register here

Communication as the engine of innovation in Living Labs

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

The fourth session of the “Trainings on Service Design for Living Labs,” held on September 3, 2025, focused on building innovation networks and engaging stakeholders in meaningful ways. Titled “Building Innovation Networks: Communication and Engagement”, the webinar brought together four speakers who shared practical cases, conceptual frameworks, and tools for stakeholder engagement within Living Lab ecosystems.

Clara Garcia Blanch, Pilot Test Manager at the Social Digital Lab (Suara), opened the session with practical reflections on identifying and engaging stakeholders in co-creation processes. She stressed that while visible actors are crucial, hidden stakeholders often influence project outcomes in unexpected ways. Drawing from her experience, she underlined the importance of mapping, listening, and uncovering less obvious contributors in order to design inclusive and sustainable innovations.

Leen Broeckx, Panel Manager at LiCalab, presented how her organization structures stakeholder engagement in health and care innovation. LiCalab operates test environments involving citizens and care professionals, drawn from its own database, in real-life settings, and works in close collaboration with hospitals, residential care centres, and home care services. Leen explained how their stakeholders are categorized into internal and external, how their stakeholder analysis uses approaches such as power/interest grids to position actors and design suitable engagement activities. She described the identifying needs process, which includes workshops, expert interviews, and inspiration sessions. As an example, she presented the “Orion” dementia care case, where staff and users tested smart technologies such as bed sensors and smart lamps.

Marta I. De Los Ríos White, representing the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), provided the theoretical foundation for stakeholder engagement. She defined categories such as internal vs. external, primary vs. secondary, and direct vs. indirect stakeholders, while clarifying distinctions between stakeholders, users, and customers. Marta also highlighted the role of the Quadruple Helix Model, which positions the public sector, businesses, education and research, and civil society as central actors.

The instructor also shared practical tips and tricks for effective communication with stakeholders:

  • Be transparent: Clear communication builds trust and credibility.
  • Be adaptable: Be prepared to adjust communication strategies as projects evolve and stakeholder needs shift.
  • Ensure accessibility: Consider potential language barriers and disabilities by developing inclusive strategies.
  • Aim for two-way communication: Establish mechanisms for feedback and input rather than one-way dissemination.
  • Be present and responsive: Actively listen to stakeholder concerns, questions, and suggestions, and respond promptly.

Finally, she explained why citizens are essential stakeholders, because they:

  • Align the community’s projects with real local needs
  • Secure people’s long-term support to the community
  • Ensure social acceptance
  • Ensure transparency and accountability in decision-making and community operations
  • Empower people to make informed decisions
  • Boost innovation and creativity, bringing fresh ideas and solutions
  • Stimulate economic benefits for the people, such as job creation within the community

Concluding the session, the focus shifted to the Thessaloniki Active and Healthy Ageing Living Lab (Thess-AHALL), presented by Despoina Petsani, Research Associate at the AUTH Medical Physics and Digital Innovation Lab, showcasing how long-term citizen engagement and structured tools can transform a Living Lab into a robust innovation ecosystem. Despoina presented outcomes from projects such as Long Lasting Memories, showing impacts in cognitive and physical training. She also showcased practical tools: Accelup, a collaboration platform for innovators and Living Labs; PaneLab, a panel management platform; and a methodological guide (partners of experience) for citizen involvement. Thess-AHALL’s work demonstrates how trust, continuity, and structured tools help Living Labs evolve into strong innovation ecosystems.

What's next?

The training series will continue with its fifth session on Certification & Standardization of Living Labs, taking place on September 10, 2025, at 15:00 CEST. This upcoming webinar will explore the essential requirements for certification, the benefits of achieving it, and the international recognition it brings to Living Labs.

Register here

Responsible innovation: Legal & Ethical Essentials for Living Labs

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

The third session of the EVOLVE2CARE Living Labs Training Series took place on August 27, 2025, and focused on a critical yet often overlooked dimension of innovation: legal, ethical, and regulatory frameworks. As Living Labs operate in real-world environments with real users, understanding these frameworks is essential to ensure responsible, inclusive, and sustainable innovation.

The session featured two distinguished experts—Maria Iakovidou, Attorney at Law at the Supreme Court of Greece, LLM in Civil Procedure Law, MSc in Law & Informatics, Data Protection Officer (DPO), who opened the discussion with a legal deep dive into GDPR, consent, and intellectual property; and Dr. Abdolrasoul (Rasoul) Habibipour, Director of Botnia Living Lab and Associate Professor in Information Systems at Luleå University of Technology, who followed with practical insights on embedding ethics into Living Lab design through real-world case studies.

Legal Essentials for Living Labs

Maria Iakovidou opened the session with a comprehensive legal roadmap for Living Labs, covering:

Data Protection & GDPR

Living Labs often collect personal data through sensors, wearables, interviews, and digital platforms. Maria Iakovidou emphasized that GDPR applies whenever data relates to an identifiable person, and outlined the six core principles of lawful processing: lawfulness, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, and confidentiality.

Informed Consent in Real-Life Settings

Consent, Maria Iakovidou explained, must be freely given in advance, specific, informed, and unambiguous—and must be obtained before any data is collected. In Living Labs, where testing often occurs in public or semi-public spaces, this becomes especially complex. She highlighted red flags such as bundled consent, lack of withdrawal options, and overly technical language.

She also addressed the documentation of consent, stressing the need for signed forms or digital tools, and the importance of making it easy for participants to say both “yes” and “no.”

Intellectual Property (IP)

Living Labs frequently co-create innovations with startups, researchers, and citizens. Maria Iakovidou urged participants to clarify IP ownership and licensing terms early, distinguishing between background and foreground IP. She recommended involving legal advisors in drafting collaboration agreements and defining usage rights to avoid disputes later.

Liability & Risk in experimentation and pilot phases

From allergic reactions to data breaches, Living Labs face real risks. Maria advised teams to assess risks before deployment, include insurance and liability clauses, and clearly define responsibilities in case of harm or failure.

Living Lab & Ethics

Dr. Abdolrasoul Habibipour presented a structured approach to integrating ethical and legal considerations into Living Lab design. He explored key principles such as stakeholder engagement, transparency, and real-life experimentation. He illustrated their application through case studies from EU projects like SynAir-G and U4IoT, highlighting practical strategies for managing consent, data protection, IP rights, and liability.

Real-World Case Studies

SynAir-G

This EU project co-developed air quality monitoring tools with children in schools. The ethical challenges were significant: children are a vulnerable group under GDPR, and the app collected sensitive data like health status and GPS location. Dr. Abdolrasoul Habibipour shared how the team addressed these issues through dual consent (parents + children), age-appropriate explanations, and national ethics approvals.

U4IoT

This case supported large-scale IoT pilots in domains like smart cities and healthcare. It uncovered common pitfalls: biometric data collected without explanation, lack of signage in public testing, and unclear data ownership. The team responded by developing GDPR toolkits, user dashboards to increase transparency, and promoting Data Protection Impact Assessments.

Practical Tools & Red Flags

Abdolrasoul Habibipour introduced a Living Lab Ethics Checklist covering seven key areas: data protection (GDPR), informed consent, IP, risk and liability, inclusion and vulnerability, transparency and communication, and ethics integration in design. He encouraged teams to use this checklist at every stage—from kickoff to pilot launch—and to normalize ethical reflection in team meetings.

What’s next?

The Living Labs Training Series continues with the fourth session: “Building Innovation Networks: Communication and Engagement”, taking place on September 3, 2025, at 15:00 CEST. This session will focus on the importance of building strong innovation networks and effective stakeholder engagement within Living Labs. Participants will learn how to engage stakeholders in service design, with a particular focus on the Accelup platform. 

Stay tuned—and remember, attending at least 4 out of 6 sessions earns you a Certificate of Attendance from the EVOLVE2CARE project!

Register here

Smarter Matchmaking in HealthTech Innovation – Methodological Approaches

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

While digital tools outlined in the previous blog provide speed and scalability, certain methodological approaches/processes, frameworks and best practices can ensure that the matchmaking system yields effective results. These approaches concern what data to collect, how to structure it, and how humans can facilitate the match process. Methodologies can be just as important as technology: a fancy algorithm will underperform if profiles are poorly defined, and conversely, a simple tool can excel if guided by a solid methodology!

As outlined in the latest project deliverable D1.3 – EVOLVE2CARE Action Plan, effective matchmaking relies on structured data, active engagement, and co-creation practices that make partnerships sustainable and impactful.

Structured profile frameworks and taxonomies

A fundamental step is defining what information innovators and Living Labs should provide to enable meaningful matches. Structured profiling means having well-defined fields and classification systems that capture the relevant attributes of each side.

  • Living Lab Information: Clearly describe services and capabilities using standardized frameworks.
  • Innovator Information: Include project details, target users, stage (e.g., prototype), and specific requirements (e.g., access to patients or regulatory advice).
  • Rating and Compatibility Scores: Profiles are scored on key factors such as project stage, domain match, and size to recommend the best matches.
  • Data Quality and Verification: Regular updates ensure accuracy; verification processes prevent mismatches.
  • Use of Structured Fields in Application Process: Shifting from free-text descriptions to dropdowns and tags improves matching, transparency, and fairness, with stakeholder input ensuring fields capture what truly matters.

Co-Creation and Engagement Methods in Matchmaking

Applying the principles of co-creation and user engagement to the matchmaking process can be beneficial. Methodologically, this means treating matchmaking not just as a database query, but as a collaborative journey where innovators and Living Labs actively engage to find a fit.

  • Moderated Matchmaking by Facilitators: Innovation brokers help bridge public and private sectors, review profiles, propose matches, and provide introductions, improving early-stage or critical pairings.
  • Case Studies and Best-Practice Sharing: Sharing examples of successful collaborations guides users in selecting the right partners.
  • KPI Framework for Matchmaking: Metrics such as successful matches, time to project start, user satisfaction, and match diversity allow continuous improvement.

By combining structured data, co-creation, and user engagement, Accelup’s methodological approaches ensure that the matchmaking process is transparent, fair, and of high quality. These approaches, along with the digital tools discussed earlier, make Accelup a comprehensive platform for fostering successful HealthTech collaborations. Together, the digital and methodological elements ensure that Accelup not only accelerates the matchmaking process but also guarantees that these connections create lasting, impactful partnerships.

Smarter Matchmaking in HealthTech Innovation – Digital Approaches

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

In healthcare innovation, getting the right collaborators is essential for success, and this is the actual goal for the EVOLVE2CARE project as a whole! In order to bring this into life, the project utilises the Accelup platform, a product of ENoLL that provides an online space for wider, simplified, and more efficient access to the best Living Lab infrastructures and their research on demand services. As outlined in one of the latest public deliverables of the project, the D1.3 – EVOLVE2CARE Action Plan, the Accelup platform adds value by accurately profiling both innovators and Living Labs to create the most suitable partnerships.

To further enhance the Accelup matchmaking capabilities, the EVOLVE2CARE team has compiled an inventory of existing tools, surveying digital platforms and methodological frameworks that support similar processes—focusing on European examples and notable global initiatives. This blog highlights the most prominent digital functions used for effective and transparent matchmaking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration.

Digital approaches to innovator-Living Lab matchmaking

Digital approaches are categorized in D1.3 EVOLVE2CARE Action Plan into three groups: lightweight plug-ins, APIs & integrations, and AI-based recommendation systems.

Lightweight Plug-ins and Modular Tools:

Lightweight plug-ins add matchmaking features to existing platforms without building complex systems. They use structured profile data and simple algorithms, such as tag matching or rule-based filtering.

  1. Tag-Based Matching Modules: Use tags to identify shared interests or needs. The goal is to deliver “personalized connections” by filtering the community’s profiles to find resonant matches for each user.
  2. Profile Search and Filters as Plug-In Features: Platforms enable advanced search and filters, allowing users to find matches autonomously.
  3. Simple Recommender Libraries: Open-source libraries, like Python or JavaScript recommendation engines, provide plug-in solutions for developers.

API-Driven Integrations and Data Sharing

APIs allow Accelup to integrate external platforms to enrich profiles and improve matchmaking. For example, innovators can import LinkedIn or ORCID data, and startups can sync Crunchbase info automatically.

  1. Cross-platform Profile Federation: Users can pull in existing data to seed their Accelup profile, reducing manual input and improving accuracy.

AI-Based Recommendation Systems

AI recommenders analyze complex data to suggest the most relevant match between Living Labs and innovators, going beyond simple tags by using past interactions, project descriptions, and success rates.

  1. Machine Learning Recommenders in Innovation Networks: Platforms like Crowdhelix, which is a global open innovation network, connecting universities, SMEs and innovators and organizations for Horizon Europe collaboration. By harnessing bespoke AI technology, Crowdhelix claims to “establish synergetic connections” among its 18,500+ members.
  2. Collaborative Filtering & User Feedback: In a mature recommender, the system learns from user behavior and feedback from successful collaborations to improve future recommendations.
Digital tools can significantly streamline the process of matching innovators with Living Labs by automating profile collection, search, and recommendations. While these tools are not mutually exclusive, combining elements from all three could offer a flexible and scalable approach for future development. In the next blog, we’ll dive into how methodological approaches complement these digital tools, ensuring that matchmaking remains not only fast but also fair, transparent, and of high quality.

Applying Service Design in Living Labs: Webinar highlights

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

The second session, titled “Designing Tailored Living Lab Services for Innovators”, which is part of the Living Labs Training Series, took place on 9 July 2025. It focused on designing structured, user-oriented services that enable Living Labs to better support innovators, accelerate experimentation, and ensure sustainable operations.

This six part training program is specifically crafted for Living Lab managers, researchers, and innovation professionals. It brings together top experts in service design and real-world practitioners from across Europe. The last webinar featured contributions from:

What is Service Design?

Francesca Sperandio opened the session by introducing the central question: “What is Service Design?” She explained that Service Design is about intentionally planning and organizing all the different touchpoints and interactions—from users and staff to platforms and operations—that collectively make up a service. 

  • Service Design is human-centered, evidence-based, and follows an iterative, collaborative process.
  • Living Labs, likewise, emphasize active user involvement, real-life experimentation, and co-creation.

Case Studies from the Thessaloniki Action for Health & Wellbeing Living Lab

In her turn, Despoina Petsani shared two concrete case studies from the Thessaloniki Action for Health & Wellbeing Living Lab, developed within the framework of the VITALISE project. VITALISE enables researchers from various disciplines to access European Living Lab infrastructures through Transnational Access.

These examples highlighted not only the innovative services developed—such as ASSURE, an AI tool for dysphagia detection, and HESTIA, a thermal monitoring system to support informal caregiving—but also the concrete resource needs involved in delivering them.

For each pilot, she presented a side-by-side comparison of time and personnel dedicated by internal and external teams. Internal refers to the Living Lab’s own staff, who are familiar with lab protocols, logistics, and stakeholder engagement, while external refers to visiting researchers granted access through the project.

The data showed needs for 170h/30d internal vs. 52h external for ASSURE project, and 121/28d internal vs. 14d external for HESTIA—demonstrating that effective Living Lab services require considerable coordination and time investment.

Structuring and Pricing Living Lab Services

Marta I. De Los Ríos White guided participants through a practical methodology for turning Living Lab activities into repeatable, well-defined services. 

The structured 5-step Servive Design Process included:

  1. Discover: the phase of immersion, where tools like interviews, observations, and self-documentation help capture real user needs and contextual insights.
  2. Define: a period of analysis—making sense of the findings, spotting patterns, and setting a clear design challenge.
  3. Develop: the creative core of the process, where ideas are generated, sketched, and prototyped through both visual and tactile methods.
  4. Deliver: this stage transforms ideas into action—pitching, role-playing, testing, gathering feedback, and capturing learnings.
  5. Evolve: a forward-looking stage focused on scaling, building partnerships, tracking impact, and celebrating even subtle change.

Do you know how to price your services?

To close, Marta I. De Los Ríos White presented three guiding steps for Living Labs ready to define the value of what they offer. First, she encouraged participants to assess the value their services provide to innovators, including the time saved, risk reduced, and unique benefits delivered. Next, she stressed the importance of understanding internal costs—factoring in people’s time and expertise, specialized tools, resources, and overhead. Finally, she highlighted the need to align pricing strategies with the Living Lab’s broader mission and funding model, ensuring financial sustainability while staying true to core objectives.

What’s next?

The next session for Living Labs, “Navigating Legal, Ethical & Regulatory Frameworks,” will take place on August 27, 2025, at 15:00 CEST, and will approach the ethical, legal and regulatory frameworks, explores the sector-specific compliance and engages with regulatory bodies.

Register here

Highlights from the 1st webinar for Living Labs

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

The first session of “Trainings on Service Design for Living Labs”, held on June 25, 2025, successfully brought together 23 participants for an engaging and insightful webinar titled “The Role of Living Labs in the Innovation Ecosystem.” The session featured five distinguished speakers—Prof. Dr. Dimitri Schuurman,  Senior Research Strategist (ENoLL), Ingrid Adriaensen, Business Manager (LiCalab), Dr. Eva Kehayia (RehabMaLL), Clara G. García Blanch, Pilot Test Manager, (Suara), and Sofía Ballesteros Rodríguez, Social Worker (Fundación INTRAS)—and was facilitated by Marta I. De Los Rios White and Francesca Sperandio from ENoLL.

The discussion began with Prof. Schuurman, who situated Living Labs within broader innovation frameworks, tracing their evolution from the Triple Helix model (government, academia, industry) to the more inclusive Quadruple Helix, which incorporates civil society. He emphasized the strategic role of Living Labs in open innovation, particularly their contributions to value creation, co-creation, and real-life experimentation. He also introduced a framework for navigating complexity across strategic, tactical, and operational levels.

Building on this, he described the importance of anchoring Living Labs in a clear mission and vision—one that addresses long-term partnerships, user needs, and value creation—through an ecosystem-driven approach. Finally, he illustrated how Living Labs function in practice across three layers: multi-actor orchestration at the organizational level, multi-method and real-life experimentation at the project level, and active stakeholder engagement through co-creation and co-design at the activity level—underscoring their dual role in fostering open innovation and empowering user innovation.

Following this, each speaker presented a unique Living Lab case, offering practical insights into how these collaborative environments are driving user-centered innovation across diverse sectors.

Ingrid Adriaensen – LiCalab

Ingrid Adriaensen presented the Living and Care Lab (LiCalab) based in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium, embedded within Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. She explained how LiCalab supports companies in developing and validating care-related innovations by offering a strong user research infrastructure, including a panel of over 1,200 citizens and care professionals, and by leveraging collaborations with hospitals, municipalities, and international networks.

LiCalab focuses on care technology—including e-health, medtech, assistive and communication tools—and innovative models for collaboration in care settings, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, inclusion, and both digital and health literacy. A key example was the ‘Welgerust’ (Well Rested) project, a multi-actor initiative tackling sleep issues through a blended care approach. The solution combines the Moonbird device—which uses biofeedback to guide users through optimal breathing patterns—and tailored psychological support. The project, which targets both adults and children, caregivers, and a local hospital, illustrates how Living Labs can drive user-centered innovation from early-stage development to real-world testing.

 

Dr. Eva Kehayia – RehabMaLL

Dr. Eva Kehayia (CRIR – Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal) presented the Rehabilitation Living Lab (RehabMaLL), a pioneering initiative promoting full social participation and inclusion for people with disabilities. Situated in a public commercial mall in downtown Montreal, RehabMaLL offers a real-life environment where citizens, researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and community organizations come together to co-design and test socially inclusive innovations. Eva showcased the TeleRehab-GT platform, developed collaboratively with stroke survivors, caregivers, and health professionals to ensure that telerehabilitation tools align with users’ needs and values. The Living Lab fosters innovation through inclusive, interdisciplinary collaboration, combining real-world conditions with simulation spaces, and guided by the core principles of respect, equity, and user empowerment.

The RehabMaLL is a multi-tasking environment that enables users to engage in everyday activities (e.g., shopping, and social interaction) while testing assistive or rehabilitative technologies. This setup allows researchers to evaluate user experiences in dynamic, real-life contexts, increasing the relevance and applicability of innovation outcomes.

Clara G. García Blanch – Suara Social Digital Living Lab

Clara García Blanch presented the work of Suara’s Social Digital Living Lab, which promotes technological and service innovation within one of Spain’s largest social economy cooperatives. The Living Lab is grounded in four core values: a person-centered approach to care and innovation, digital inclusion as a means to reduce inequalities, co-creation with all stakeholders from the outset, and a strong commitment to continuous evaluation, learning, and adaptation.

She explained that Suara delivers a wide range of services tailored to individual needs across the life course—from early childhood to elderly care, including areas such as functional diversity, social inclusion, adult education, and justice.

A key focus of her presentation was the collaboration with Broomx, an immersive technology company. Through this partnership, Suara implements immersive and virtual reality experiences for mindfulness, cognitive stimulation, and recreational purposes in care settings. These interventions support core areas such as well-being, neurorehabilitation, and psychostimulation, particularly benefiting vulnerable or older populations.

Sofía Ballesteros Rodríguez – MINDLab

Sofía Ballesteros presented the work of Fundación INTRAS, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting people with mental health conditions, cognitive impairments, and other vulnerabilities. At the core of INTRAS’ innovation strategy is MINDLab, its certified Living Lab and a member of ENoLL. MINDLab acts as a permanent co-creation space supporting innovators through close collaboration with users and professionals. Its intervention scope centres on people with mental health challenges and cognitive decline, and its main competencies include:

  • Cognitive intervention & rehabilitation through new technologies
  • Sensory Stimulation
  • Digital Health
  • Empowering personalized interventions
  • Co-design with users and public involvement
  • Dissemination, knowledge transfer & research networking
  • Digital learning, inclusion, and accessibility
  • Connected Care at home and Independent living solutions

Also, she introduced VIVEMAIS, a cross-border and transdisciplinary initiative funded by the European Union, which aims to promote the design, adoption, and use of assistive technologies (ATs). These technologies are essential tools that enhance the functional capabilities of individuals facing challenges in communication, mobility, memory, and learning.

The session set a solid foundation for the series, sparking meaningful dialogue and offering actionable insights for Living Labs committed to advancing user-centered innovation.

What’s next?

The next session for Living Labs, “Designing Tailored Living Lab Services for Innovators,” will take place on July 9, 2025, at 15:00 CEST, and will introduce service design principles while exploring how Living Labs can create customized services to better support innovators and their specific needs.

Register here

Webinar on HealthTech impact with Design Thinking & Living Labs

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

On June 19, 2025, the EVOLVE2CARE Training Series for HealthTech Innovators and Researchers continued with its second session, gathering over 20 participants for an engaging webinar on “Design Thinking in Action — A Living Lab Approach to HealthTech Innovation.” The session was led by Ioannis Poultourtzidis, Coordinator of the ThessAHALL Living Lab, a pioneering hub for health and wellbeing innovation, driven by the AUTH Lab of Medical Physics and Digital Innovation based in Northern Greece since 2014.

This insightful session offered a practical look at how Living Labs, when combined with Design Thinking, can empower researchers and innovators to build HealthTech solutions that are ethical, inclusive, and truly responsive to user needs. It addressed one of the core challenges in health innovation: too many technologies are developed without real-world validation. Living Labs help address this challenge by involving real users in real contexts, enabling co-creation and testing that lead to more relevant and usable solutions.

The 3-Step framework for impactful HealthTech innovation

At the core of the session was a practical 3-step framework developed to accelerate HealthTech solutions:

  • Understand

Innovation begins with an in-depth exploration of user needs, challenges, and environments. This phase involves stakeholder mapping, needs assessment, and early framing of design hypotheses. Living Labs enable immersion into users’ real-life settings — homes, clinics, and communities — without artificial filters. Special attention is given to capturing gender-sensitive and inclusive insights, ensuring solutions reflect the full diversity of users.

  • Engage

This step focuses on co-creation with all relevant stakeholders — patients, caregivers, clinicians, policy-makers, insurers, and technologists. Rather than gathering feedback after development, Living Labs bring stakeholders into the design process itself through co-design workshops, design sprints, and digital collaboration platforms. This inclusive, participatory model ensures that the solutions developed are relevant, feasible, and widely accepted. Innovation thrives on collaboration!

  • Build for impact

The final step emphasizes rapid prototyping, real-world testing, and iteration. Living Labs allow innovators to trial functional prototypes directly with users in authentic environments. This accelerates learning, reduces development risks, and ensures technical and business feasibility. The process supports agile development by turning insights into measurable outcomes, such as improved health, increased usability, and meaningful adoption

Innovation journey – 4 Phases

Living Lab Networks guide innovators through each of the four phases: design, technology, business, and impact.

Design: Human-centered design frames the solution based on desirability and real needs

Technology: Prototypes are tested for technical feasibility within Living Lab environments

Business: Viable business models are validated, considering cost, sustainability, and market fit

Impact: Solutions are evaluated on outcomes such as improved patient care, usability, and long-term value

This journey ensures that innovation is not just about new technology, but about developing sustainable, scalable solutions that create measurable value for healthcare systems and the people they serve.

Why Living Labs matter in HealthTech?

Living Labs offer a unique environment to design with, not just for, users by:

  • Providing access to diverse populations in natural settings
  • Capturing real-time feedback and behavioral insights
  • Helping de-risk innovation by validating usability and integration early
  • Supporting ethical, GDPR-compliant, and inclusive research practices

What’s next in the EVOLVE2CARE training sessions series for HealthTech Innovators and Researchers?

The next session in the series, “Building a Sustainable HealthTech Business – A Founder’s Journey,” will take place on July 17, 2025, at 15:00 CEST. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from Panagiotis Katsaounis, CEO of Metabio, as he shares the real-world story of growing a HealthTech startup from idea to validated solution. The session will explore key business decisions, unexpected challenges, and the strategic pivots that shaped the company’s journey, offering a grounded look into the entrepreneurial side of healthcare innovation.

Register here

EVOLVE2CARE at the 1st Morning Health Talk in Athens

Home
Tag Archives: Living Labs

On June 2, 2025, EVOLVE2CARE was proudly represented at the 1st Morning Health Talk – Greece, held at the National Documentation Centre in Athens. The event was organized by EIT Health Greece under the theme: “Co-Creating Health Innovation Ecosystems: Empowering Providers and Citizens Beyond Financial Incentives.”

Evdokimos Konstantinidis, Project Coordinator of EVOLVE2CARE (AUTH Medical Physics & Digital Innovation Lab), delivered a talk highlighting the role of Living Labs in advancing healthcare innovation. His presentation focused on how Living Labs can drive healthcare innovation by supporting care transitions, empowering caregivers, and enabling real-world clinical research through open, co-creative ecosystems.

The event brought together digital health experts, care providers, researchers, and policymakers, fostering dialogue around inclusive, user-driven innovation in healthcare.

EVOLVE2CARE’s presence at the event reinforced its mission to foster co-creation and user-driven innovation in Transitional Care, underscoring the role of Living Labs in advancing healthcare innovation.