On May 27, 2025, the international scientific conference “Living Labs: Opening Innovation Ecosystems for Co-creation and Impact” was successfully held at the Faculty of Public Health of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) in Kaunas, Lithuania. The event was organized by the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), Institute of Economics and Rural Development, in collaboration with LLLNet – the National Network of Living Labs, the Research Council of Lithuania, and LSMU.
This pioneering conference convened 55 on-site participants from academia, government, business, and civil society, as well as 51 remote participants, who represented 21 countries across three continents. As the first event of its kind in the Baltic region, it represents a significant milestone in advancing open innovation ecosystems and promoting the Living Lab approach in Lithuania and beyond.
During the opening address, the Director of LCSS, Dr. Boguslavas Gruževskis, emphasized the pressing need to return to “human-centered and inclusive methodologies for modeling innovative solutions for society,” especially in response to the increasing social alienation driven by technological change. In alignment with this vision, he announced the launch of LIRA Lab (Living Innovations for Regional Advancement) at LCSS Institute of Economics and Rural Development in 2025, signifying a strategic step forward in strengthening the Centre’s research and innovation ecosystem.
The conference explored the Living Lab methodology as a transformative platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, citizen engagement, and research impact. Sessions addressed diverse themes including public health innovation, social sustainability, educational transformation, participatory governance, and other critical aspects of Living Labs. Researchers from LCSS contributed actively to both the scientific and organizational components of the event, taking part in plenary discussions, moderating sessions, and delivering presentations on Living Labs coordinated through the LCSS Institute of Economics and Rural Development. These included the Horizon Europe GRASS Ceiling Project (dr. Vida Dabkienė, dr. Tomas Baležentis), the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) initiative (Dr. Nelė Jurkėnaitė), and the newly launched LIRA Lab of LCSS (Dr. Rita Lankauskienė).
The event also served as the official inauguration of the LLLNet network, welcoming both founding and newly affiliated members - including five representatives from the LCSS Institute for Economics and Rural Development.
One of the key outcomes of the conference was the release of the “Conference Book & Collection Living Labs of Lithuania 2025” - a comprehensive showcase of currently operating and emerging Living Labs across sectors such as health, education, ecology, and community development in Lithuania. All conference materials are publicly accessible via the websites of the partner institutions and the LLLNet platform.
For more information, please contact: Dr. Rita Lankauskienė, rita.lankauskiene@ekvi.lt