Exploring the Activities and Outcomes of Living Labs: Insights for meeting stakeholder expectations

Open innovation is a key concept in innovation management that encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing, and co-creation. Living Labs, as collaborative innovation structures, are well-suited for implementing open innovation. They serve as user-centered ecosystems for testing and validating user-oriented solutions in real-life conditions. While existing literature explores various dimensions of Living Labs, empirical research on practical implementation activities and outcomes is lacking. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the activities deployed within a Living Lab to support innovation projects. By examining a specific Living Lab in a territorial context, the research aims to provide insights into the mechanisms and processes that foster synergies among Living Lab actors and territorial stakeholders. The findings highlight the importance of collaboration, co-creation, and animating diverse ecosystems to maximize the impact of Living Lab initiatives on territorial ecosystems. It also underscores the role of the Living Lab as an ecosystem facilitator. For Living Lab managers and policymakers, the study provides practical insights on key activities that foster collaboration and meet stakeholder expectations.