Second session of "Living Labs, Open Innovation and University" held on 16 June

The healthcare, economic and social crisis caused by COVID-19 has forced several sectors to renew themselves in order to face the consequences of this pandemic. A clear example of this is the UAB Open Labs, which dedicated its production to manufacturing healthcare material needed in hospitals for essential frontline workers. Once again, the importance of the role of Living Labs within the technological society of the future was made evident. This and many more issues were discussed during the Second Session of the "Living Labs, Open Innovation and University".

The event, which was made available on YouTube and gotomeeting on Tuesday 16 June, analysed different reactions emerging during the crisis and discussed the next steps needed to be taken by a new digital society after COVID-19. In this sense, digital innovation labs such as the Living Labs have much to contribute, given that they are places for experimentation and collective creations responding to the needs of society based on public and private community interventions.

This year's edition posed two main objectives. On the one hand, it aimed to understand the tragedy produced by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the impact it has had on the development of our Living Labs actions, as well as the digital social innovations that were adopted and developed to adapt to the crisis. On the other hand, the aim was to identify the actions which can be conducted from the Living Labs, through open innovation and universities, in order to help co-create and develop a new post-COVID-19 digital society.

The session, entitled Living Labs, Innovació Oberta i Universitats. Connexió coneixement-entorn: experiències i noves vies, was an initiative organised by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in collaboration with the European Network of Living Labs (EnoLL). It was launched in 2019 by ENoLL, the University of Barcelona, and a set of open innovation actors from around the region.

The session brought together the most relevant actors from around the region to speak on specific experiences and lesson learned in the field of Living Labs, as well as aimed, through these initiatives, to advance in the reflection of the role of the University in the Digital Transformation and the possibilities offered by Open Innovation as tools to connect the university to its surroundings.

Full programme:

PART I: THE ECOSYSTEM OF LIVING LABS IN CATALONIA (on YouTube)

• 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Welcome message and presentation of the 2020 Session. Reading of last year's report and presentation of the study “Reaction of the Living Labs Ecosystem in Catalonia to the COVID-19 crisis”.
• 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: “Següents passos”. Open debate on the role of living labs at University in the post-COVID-19 society: challenges and opportunities.

PART II: INTERNATIONAL IMPACT AND VIEWS ON THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES (on gotomeeting)

• 1:00-2:0 p.m.: Webinar by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL): “How the COVID-19 has changed our Universities for good”. 

The session is open to all. You can register to attend here. 

Organised by: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Centre de Visió per Computador and the European Network of de Living Labs (ENoLL).

More information: Living Labs Universitat