Living Labs

Climate change. Planetary health. Energy transition.

These challenges are multifaceted, interconnected, and dynamic. They cannot be solved with a single idea or discipline, but rather require diverse perspectives and collective action. The scientific community refers to these as “Grand Challenges,” and this is precisely where Living Labs come into play as a key approach to addressing them. 

Living Labs (also known as “real-world laboratories”) are projects and experimental spaces where academia, business, public administration, and civil society come together to tackle complex challenges collaboratively. Through a combination of co-creation, testing, and learning, these initiatives generate practical solutions that are more widely accepted and supported.

For further reading, see the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) booklet “Living Lab Origins, Developments, and Future Perspectives”.

• Strategic integration: The ZHAW promotes Living Lab projects as a strategic approach to addressing complex sustainability issues. These projects create opportunities for applied, transdisciplinary teaching and research, strengthen knowledge transfer, and support the implementation of the ZHAW strategy in the day-to-day operations of the university.
• Financial support: Through the Living Lab Fund of the Sustainable Impact Program, ZHAW supports the development and implementation of Living Lab projects. Funding is provided for innovative projects that enable research and development in collaboration with stakeholders through a systemic approach to open innovation and co-creation.
• Events and training opportunities: A wide range of workshops, networking events, and internal training programmes on the topic of Living Labs teach methods, facilitate exchange, and promote collaborative learning. Current offerings and events can be found below.
• Interdepartmental collaboration: Complex sustainability issues transcend disciplinary and departmental boundaries. Living Lab projects promote interdepartmental collaboration and bring together diverse perspectives, expertise, and experiences.