Participatory methods for working with stakeholders in a Living Lab

Introduction

Living Labs are open innovation ecosystems in real-life environments based on a systematic user co-creation approach that integrates research and innovation activities in communities and/or multi-stakeholder environments, placing citizens and/or end-users at the centre of the innovation process.  Living Labs as real-life test and experimentation environments, foster co-creation  and  open  innovation  among  the  main  actors  of  the  Quadruple  Helix  Model (https://enoll.org/living-labs/#living-labs). 

A wide range of tools are available for working with the different actors in Living Labs. For example,  The  Engage2020  Action  catalogue  (https://actioncatalogue.eu/)  is  an  online decision support tool that is intended to enable researchers, policy-makers and others wanting to conduct inclusive research, to find the method best suited for their specific needs. 

For working with stakeholders throughout a co-creation process, stakeholder working groups and scenario workshops are highly useful participatory methods designed to engage diverse actors in shaping research and policy processes. Both emphasize inclusion, dialogue, and co-creation,  aiming  to  surface  barriers,  generate  ideas,  and  build  consensus.  However,  they differ in format, purpose, and strategic application.

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