Laurea Living Labs

Living labs are real development environments that promote creativity, diverse learning, and highlight the connections between sustainable development, technological, social, and economic phenomena.

Living labs generate practice-based innovations and support rapid experimentation of ideas and prototypes. Knowledge is created through a multi-voiced dialogue that fosters individual and organizational learning. Living labs challenge students to solve real-life work problems and develop empowering practices for clients. Collaborative learning is a prerequisite for the development of innovation systems.

Laurea's six campuses provide permanent development environments:

• BarLaurea
• Circular Economy Living Lab
• Senses Space and Method
• Digital Living Lab

Living labs have also been developed outside Laurea's campuses. Hospitals, libraries, neighborhoods, and regions are examples of these environments. For example, in the Functional Hospital project, technological innovation development environments were created in collaboration with the City of Vantaa's hospital services. 

Living Labs in RDI Activities

Laurea's living labs aim to apply a multidisciplinary approach due to the complexity of real-life problems.

Laurea's living labs are based on the principles of open innovation and shared partnership, combining the ideas, knowledge, and resources of different stakeholders. Actors typically complement each other with roles and areas of interest.