Local session at UAB: preparing for pilots

On Thursday, July 3rd, we gathered at the Sala de Revistes at UAB (also home to the UAB Digital Lab), for a dynamic follow-up local session co-organized with HUB B30 Xarxa de Labs del Vallès. The meeting - continuation of our February workshop - brought together a diverse group of participants: municipal representatives from the Vallès region (including Ajuntament de Cerdanyola de Vallès, Ajuntament de Mollet del Vallès, Ajuntament de Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Palau solità i Plegamans), innovation labs from Xarxa de Vallès, Parc de Recerca UAB, researchers, and the UAB Open Labs team.

The session opened with a project update from ULALABS, followed by presentations from David Muñoz from Ajuntament de Cerdanyola del Vallès and Alfons Miàs, director of UAB Open Labs, sharing their reflections from the Multiplier and Transnational events in Enschede, and in particular their insights into the University of Twente’s DesignLab and the learnings from the broader regional innovation ecosystem.

Along the session, Konstantinos Kourkoutas, ULALABS project coordinator, shared with the local stakeholders the results of the latest activities, in particular Ecosystem Map, Shared Challenges Board developed and R+D+I Shared Agenda, along with a preview of the upcoming publication on the Learning Communities Roadmap.

A key part of the session was a participative dynamic where attendees engaged in identifying and discussing the challenges prioritized for the ULALABS pilot phase. This collaborative exchange laids the groundwork for the next steps in the upcoming launch of the pilots.

The session also included updates on the Knowledge Regions programme, which promotes collaboration between knowledge and research agents and territorial entities (public administrations, companies, and associations) to co-develop innovative solutions to local social, environmental, and economic challenges. A preview of the upcoming UAB Innovation Week was also shared.

This meeting reaffirmed the value of shared learning and cross-sector collaboration in driving forward the ULALABS mission and we’re excited to continue building momentum together.