European Network of Living Labs places people at the very centre of product development and innovation

The European Network of Living Labs was launched on 20 November. The launch took place at the Dipoli Congress Centre in Espoo Finland in connection with a conference entitled the European Network of Living Labs: A Step Towards a European Innovation System.

The European Network of Living Labs is an important step towards a new European innovation infrastructure. The Network includes, in the initial phase, 20 actors from 15 European countries. It also involves more than 100 active researchers and a representative group of innovative European companies. The Living Labs network concentrates on the development of new information society services, businesses, technologies and markets and places people at the very centre of product development and innovation.The participants of the European Network of Living Labs in its initial phase are:

• Arc Labs Waterford, Waterford, Ireland
• Botnia Living Lab, Luleå, Sweden
• Open Innovation Centre Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
• Wirelessinfo Czech LL, Litovel, Czech Republic
• Freeband experience lab, Enschede, Netherlands
• Frascati Living Lab, Frascati, Italy
• Györ Automotive LL, Budapest, Hungary
• Gödöllö Rural LL, Budapest, Hungary
• Hasselt & Leuven IBBT i-City LL, Brussels, Belgium
• Helsinki Living Lab - Arabianranta, Helsinki, Finland
• Helsinki Living Lab - Forum Virium, Helsinki, Finland
• i2Cat Catalonia Digital Lab, Barcelona, Spain
• Manchester EastServe, Manchester, UK
• Madeira Living Lab, Madeira, Portugal
• Mobile City Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria
• Mobile City Bremen, Bremen, Germany
• Knowledge Workers LL,  Munich, Germany
• Slovenia eLivingLab, Kranj, Slovenia
• LL ICT Usage Lab, Sophia-Antipolis, France
• Turku Archipelago LL, Pargas, Finland

The participants of the network are presented on the Internet at: http://www.openlivinglabs.eu.

The aim of the European Network of Living Labs is to link the separate Living Labs innovations and innovators around Europe to a common European network. The network enables the development of innovation services and methods and testing environments and Europe-wide provision of those for local and international companies and public administration. This helps to achieve globally competitive European innovations and to create products and services facilitating the everyday life of people and businesses.

The network also provides an opportunity to test products and services produced in one country in different cultural environments and create easily-copied solutions from the very beginning.

The conference called "European Network of Living Labs: A Step towards a European Innovation System" held today at the Dipoli Congress Centre in Espoo is attended by over 300 research, technology and innovation-policy specialists from the EU countries, representing the public sector, research institutes and business world. A high-level delegation from China also participates in the conference.

The conference is organised by the Finnish Government Information Society Programme, the Center for Knowledge and Innovation Research (CKIR) of the Helsinki School of Economics, and the European Commission.

Further information:
- Seija Kulkki, Director, Center for Knowledge and Innovation Research (CKIR) at the Helsinki School of Economics, tel. +358 9 4313 8945 or +348 50 584 9070
- Katrina Harjuhahto-Madetoja, Programme Director, Prime Minister's Office, tel. +358 9 1602 2363 or +358 40 820 0750
- Bror Salmelin, Head of Unit, European Commission, Information Society and Media, tel. +32 2 296 9564