Launch of the 2nd Wave of Living Labs

An opening session is scheduled on the event programme featuring interventions from the President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), and the Director of Emerging Technologies and Infrastructures of the Information Society and Media Directorate-General of the European Commission, followed by discussion panels of Open Innovation Policies for Users and on the European Living Labs Network. The event will conclude with the public announcement of the 2nd Wave of the European Living Labs Network. From Portugal, the President of IAPMEI – SME Support Institute and the Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan will also take part in the event.

The event is being co-organised by the Living Labs Portfolio Leadership Group, the Living Labs projects (CoreLabs, CLOCK, OpenFutures, Collaboration@Rural, CoSpaces, ECOSPACE, Laboranova and WearIT@Work) that are funded by the European Commission, and the Information Society and Media Directorate-General of the European Commission.

The European Network of Living Labs was launched by the Finnish Presidency of the EU on 20th November 2006 in Espoo, Finland. The objective was to set up a new infrastructure for European innovation where users play an active role and can influence innovation processes to better fit their needs. The first examples of Living Labs include the Helsinki Living Lab, Mobile City Bremen, Botnia Living Lab in Sweden and Freeband in the Netherlands. The first Wave of the European Network of Living Labs comprised approximately 20 projects, including the aforementioned examples and Madeira Living Lab in Portugal. The European Network of Living Labs Event was held on 21st – 23rd May 2007 in Guimarães.