The University Campus as an Experimentation Arena
- hafsaelbriyak
- 4 days ago
- 2 min de lectura
On Wednesday, 28 January, ULALABS hosted the open webinar “The University Campus as an Experimentation Arena”, bringing together members of the ECIU and wider European university community to explore how campuses can become vibrant spaces for innovation, sustainability and real-life experimentation.
The session was moderated by Prof. Tina-Simone Neset (Linköping University), Professor in Environmental Change and Director of LiU Sustainability Transformations, a university-wide hub aimed at strengthening the visibility of sustainability research and supporting collaboration between researchers, students and external partners.
The webinar also marked the launch of the first ULALABS Cross-case Learning Pilot, “Transforming University Campuses & Urban Spaces into Experimentation Arenas”, running throughout the spring semester of 2026.
Campus living labs in action
The session featured insights and examples from leading campus experimentation initiatives, presented by:
Helleik R. Syse (University of Stavanger) – MyBox, highlighting how hands-on testing environments on campus can help turn ideas into practical solutions by connecting experimentation with everyday campus life. (For more details, see the Emerging Lab of Labs case-study analysis.)
Veronica Junjan (University of Twente) – UT Living Lab, underlining the importance of aligning experimentation with clear governance and management arrangements—so responsibilities, resources and expectations are clarified from the outset.
Dr. Konstantinos Kourkoutas (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) – UAB Campus Living Lab, emphasizing how campuses can become collaboration arenas by opening up spaces and processes that enable students, researchers and external partners to co-create and test solutions together. (For more details, see the Emerging Lab of Labs case-study analysis.
What enables successful experimentation
Speakers highlighted that successful experimentation depends not only on strong ideas and motivated teams, but also on the conditions that make projects sustainable over time. This includes engaging the whole university ecosystem and ensuring clear governance arrangements and well-defined funding expectations from the start.
The session also showcased ULALABS’ focus on transformative learning through challenge-based approaches. Participants were invited to explore two key project publications:
These publications reflect both the conceptual foundations of ULALABS and the practical insights emerging from its work across partner regions.
Next steps
ULALABS will continue this work through additional pilot events and local activities, including workshops and roundtables, fostering collaboration and shared learning across partner regions. The webinar will also be made available as a podcast.
Upcoming Events:
“Cities for All” (Distributed Learning Pilot). The pilot will kick off with an online webinar on Wednesday, 11 February (12:00–13:30 CET), exploring how to co-create inclusive urban design strategies that reflect the needs and aspirations of diverse communities.
You can consult the presentation from the session here:
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