The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) is the international, non-profit, independent association of certified Living Labs. It plays a key role in developing and implementing methodologies and tools for open innovation ecosystems integrating real-life research and collaboration of users, industry, academia, and government.
The Living Lab Harmonization Framework aligns processes, tools, and methods across countries while respecting unique attributes. Key features, like the Harmonized Evaluation Framework and Living Lab Wiki, foster collaboration, efficiency, and scalability and adopted across sectors in various EU projects.
The Living Lab Mapping Canvas is a tool designed to empower the set up and development of Living Labs. It provides a strategic framework for innovation-driven collaboration, guiding the establishment or refinement of Living Labs through a quadrant-based approach.
Together, these two key results—the Living Lab Harmonization Framework and the Living Lab Mapping Canvas—complement each other to support Living Labs across different stages of maturity and geographic contexts. While the Harmonization Framework ensures coherence and interoperability across diverse Living Lab initiatives, the Mapping Canvas offers a practical starting point and reflection tool for design and strategic alignment. Both tools have been co-created and validated with Living Lab practitioners and stakeholders, reinforcing their applicability and impact within the broader ENoLL community and beyond.
Description
The key results described below contribute to strengthening coherence, strategic alignment, and operational maturity of Living Labs across Europe.
- Living Lab Harmonization
The Living Lab Harmonization is a comprehensive effort to ensure coherence, interoperability, and shared standards across Living Lab practices, while still preserving their local uniqueness. It includes four complementary components:
1.a) The Living Lab Harmonization Framework addresses the need for coherence in Living Lab operations across countries, sectors, and domains. It serves as the conceptual backbone for aligning Living Lab processes, services, tools, and methods, while preserving the diversity and unique characteristics of individual Labs. It aims to foster innovation and collaboration across the quadruple helix of users, industry, academia, and government.
1.b) The Living Lab Harmonization Wiki operationalizes the Harmonization Framework through a publicly accessible digital tool. It provides practical guidelines, methodologies, and tools to support Living Lab operators and researchers in establishing harmonized management systems. The Wiki aims to expand the Living Lab movement, stimulate transnational research collaboration, enable data sharing and comparison, improve research quality, and define a common terminology. It is also a collaborative and open space, allowing visitors to explore, comment, and annotate content, thus promoting community-led discussions and co-creation of harmonization practices. This ensures the Framework remains inclusive, adaptive, and relevant to the evolving needs of the Living Lab community.
1.c) Built upon the conceptual foundation of the Harmonization Framework, the ENoLL Harmonized Evaluation Framework is designed to evaluate Living Labs comprehensively across three levels:
- macro-level focusing on Living Lab as an organization in an innovation ecosystem,
- meso-Level focusing on innovation projects and activities carried out by the living lab, and
- micro-level focusing on methodologies and tools used by the Living Lab.
It is structured into a set of criteria and key performance indicators (KPIs) organized into six main chapters: Strategy, Operations, Openness, User and Reality, Impact & Value Creation, and Stability & Harmonization.
The Evaluation Framework has been implemented through two complementary tools:
- a quantitative self-assessment tool, using an online platform for data collection, and
- a qualitative self-assessment, offering in-depth insights into Living Lab practices and processes.
Both tools are integral to ENoLL’s application and certification processes and are used in value-capturing activities. They enable benchmarking, support continuous improvement, and have been adapted and validated in multiple EU-funded projects (e.g., WATER-MINING, REWAISE, SOILL, SCORE, oPEN Lab, GILL), showcasing the framework’s scalability across sectors.
1.d) Established in 2024, the ENoLL Harmonization Working Group ensures the continued evolution of the Harmonization Framework and related tools. The group is responsible for updating both the Harmonization Framework and the Harmonized Evaluation Framework, based on community feedback, emerging practices, and project results (e.g. VITALISE).
Its tasks include defining new processes, guidelines, and recommendations; identifying and reconciling differences in practices; and reinforcing shared principles while accommodating diverse local needs.
- The Living Lab Mapping Canvas
The Living Lab Mapping Canvas is a digital tool, developed by using a Miro board, which allows collaborative working approach. Through its online accessibility, the canvas enables teams to visualize their progress in real-time and offers a clear and organized view of their work. This visual representation helps ensure that no critical elements are overlooked and that all essential components are thoughtfully addressed. The tool not only streamlines collaboration but also promotes a structured and comprehensive approach to achieving shared goals. To ensure it meets the evolving needs of various organizations and stakeholders from different fields, the Mapping Canvas has undergone multiple iterations through different EU-funded projects, namely: SCORE for coastal cities, oPEN Lab for energy and cities, TRANSFORMER for regional Living Lab development, METABUILDINGS for construction and buildings, WATERMINING for water smart management systems, ALL-READY for agroecology Living Labs, etc. Designed to be adaptable, it has been expanded to apply to diverse areas such as health, energy, urban development, climate, and more. This flexibility makes it a guiding tool across sector-specific contexts to keep a centralized overview of key aspects, such as the mission, the context, the stakeholders, the business approach, etc. and thereby facilitate innovation in complex and multidisciplinary environments.
Achievements & learning
The combined application of the Living Lab Harmonization Framework and the Living Lab Mapping Canvas has significantly contributed to the establishment, development, and evaluation of Living Labs across Europe. Together, they provide a complementary approach: the Mapping Canvas supports the strategic setup and contextualization of Living Labs, while the Harmonization Framework ensures alignment, interoperability, and quality assurance across practices.
- Living Lab Harmonization Framework – Driving Quality and Coherence Across Innovation Ecosystems
The Harmonization Framework, along with its supporting components—the Wiki, Evaluation Framework, and Harmonization Working Group—has proven essential in enhancing the strategic and operational maturity of Living Labs.
Main Outputs and Achievements:
- Institutional Impact: In the VITALISE project, the framework supported 16 research infrastructures through 8 ENoLL-certified Living Labs, contributing to the engagement of over 100 researchers in the health and wellbeing domain
- European Recognition: The success of VITALISE, grounded in the application of the Harmonization Framework, was recognized as a Best Practice for integrating Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in research infrastructures in the Integration of SSH in Horizon 2020 report
- Standardization and Interoperability: The Evaluation Framework established through the harmonization process enabled consistent self-assessment, benchmarking, and certification across Living Labs
- Transferability: The harmonized tools have been validated and adapted in a wide range of EU-funded projects (e.g., WATER-MINING, REWAISE, SOILL, SCORE, oPEN Lab, GILL), showcasing their scalability and relevance across sectors
- Governance for Continuity: The Harmonization Working Group ensures the continuous updating and refinement of the framework to reflect emerging needs and maintain alignment with European R&I priorities
Key Learnings:
- Conceptual Clarity Supports Collaboration: A shared conceptual foundation enhances collaboration across disciplines and geographies by providing a common language and structure
- Evaluation Drives Improvement: Systematic self-assessment tools motivate Living Labs to reflect on their practices and identify areas for growth
- Governance Matters: Dedicated structures like the Harmonization Working Group are critical to maintaining relevance, ownership, and long-term sustainability of harmonized practices
- Scalability Requires Flexibility: Harmonization must allow for contextual adaptation while preserving core principles, ensuring tools are both rigorous and inclusive
The application of the Living Lab Harmonization Framework has demonstrated tangible impacts, particularly in enhancing the effectiveness of Living Labs as research infrastructures (RIs). 16 research infrastructures supported by 8 ENoLL-certified Living Lab partners in the VITALISE project have proven to be highly effective in attracting more than 100 researchers in the health and wellbeing domain. This success has been recognized at the European level, with VITALISE and its results featured as a Best Practice for Social Sciences and Humanities in Research Infrastructures in the "Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities in Horizon 2020" report. These achievements highlight the framework’s ability to create sustainable, scalable, and impactful innovation ecosystems while integrating diverse disciplines and stakeholders. The learnings from this initiative reinforce the value of harmonized practices in driving excellence and fostering collaboration within and beyond the Living Lab community.
- Living Lab Mapping Canvas – Structuring Innovation from the Ground Up
The Living Lab Mapping Canvas has been a pivotal tool in advancing the development and implementation of Living Labs across a wide range of EU-funded research projects. Notably, it has been successfully utilized in projects such as FARCLIMATE, funded by the Horizon Europe Programme under grant agreement 101112860.
Main Outputs and Achievements:
- Practical Application: The canvas has facilitated the establishment and growth of Living Labs, ensuring they are tailored to address specific project goals while maintaining a structured and efficient approach
- Scalability and Adaptability: Its ability to be applied across diverse domains, from urban development to climate action and beyond, highlights its versatility as a strategic tool
- Knowledge Transfer: The canvas has helped bridge research-based knowledge with real-world implementation, ensuring the insights from these projects translate into tangible value for stakeholders and communities
Key Learnings:
- Collaborative Framework: The canvas's digital accessibility and quadrant approach has proven effective in fostering collaboration among multidisciplinary teams, enabling them to identify and address key components critical to the success of Living Labs
- Versatility in Use Cases: The tool's adaptability has been a major strength, allowing it to support projects across varying scales, geographies, and sectors
- Continuous Improvement: Through its application in multiple projects, the canvas has undergone refinements, resulting in an improved tool that better meets the needs of diverse stakeholders and aligns with European research and innovation priorities
Taken together, the Harmonization Framework and the Mapping Canvas offer complementary strengths—strategic design and structural alignment—that support the successful establishment, evaluation, and scaling of Living Labs in Europe and beyond.
Partners & Sponsors
The Harmonization framework has been designed within the VITALISE project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement 101007990 and led by ENoLL in collaboration with project partners as defined within the VITALISE Harmonization Board.
The Living Lab Mapping Canvas was developed through the URBANOME project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement 945391. It was designed to guide organizations through key components of Living Labs, which were drawn from the UNaLab project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement 730052.