Living Labs Global

Together with Euroland Projektierungen, Interlace-Invent is implementing the Competence Center Konstanz, a Third Generation Innovation Environment. As a waterfront development along the shores of the Seerhein in the centre of Konstanz the CCK will form the hub for innovative activities in the Bodenseeland, one of the most dynamic and innovative regions in Europe bordering Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. For additional information please visit www.bodenseeland.info.

Overall, this new concept for an integrated innovation development, will include major investments into an urban regeneration to house innovative companies, as well as the Living Lab Bodensee and a Bodensee Venture Lab asa high profile programme to international talent.

The project, which began as an investors competition in 2005 which was won in 2006 by the EUROLAND / Interlace-Invent team, has followed a fully integrated process of investment and innovation planning. Today, the project stakeholders have a joint innovation strategy building on increasing the place attractiveness, service innovation, internaionalisation and entrepreneurship. Located in Konstanz, this project is anchored in strong regional support including the network of Bodensee Ambassadors, representing 150 leading businesses and institutions in the region.

Visit www.livinglabs-europe.com/bodensee for updates in the coming weeks outlining the project details and contact persons.

Living Labs Catalunya, an initiative to promote innovation in mobile services and technologies by the 22@Barcelona Innovation District, the Barcelona Digital Foundation, the City of Sant Cugat and TecnoCampus Mataró held a matchmaking event on Monday to connect 14 Scandinavian companies with Catalan business and institutional partners. Coinciding with the launch of the 3GSM World Congress, 40 experts in innovative services and technologies exchanged opportunities and ideas, with the support public agencies and venture capital partners to assist new inward investments and export opportunities.

22@Barcelona marketing director Jordi Sacristán welcomed the visitors together with Christer Asplund of Living Labs Global, acting as the facilitator for the event. All participants considered Catalonia the ideal business and innovation environment for joint activities and a professional entry-point into the Mediterranean market.

Sascha Haselmayer, General Coordinator of Living Labs Catalunya, called the event a great success, with a number of promising leads that could bring new services to citizens, businesses and visitors in Catalunya and new international opportunities opened for Catalan companies. Studies such as the mWatch Europe surveys i(see previous post) into mobile readiness in 21 European cities have continually emphasised the need to place European users at the centre of service development.

Commenting on the 3GSM World Congress, he expressed the hope that in future editions of the event visitors would experience Catalonia as a ‘Cradle of Content’, through a unique range of mobile services at their disposal. Such initiatives would not only add to the attractiveness of the region, but also showcase the uniqueness of companies in the region developing world-class services and technologies.

Already on Tuesday, follow-up talks were held not only with key companies, but also representatives of Living Labs Kalmar (Sweden), to strengthen the regional collaboration to deliver new services for students, tourists and travellers.

Presentation of mWatch: Survey on Mobile Readiness in Salzburg Study to assess the opportunity for a Living Lab Salzburg

Salzburg / Copenhagen. In October 2006 the mWatch Study on the potentials of the Region and City of Salzburg for a Living Lab was finalized. The presentation will take place on Monday, November 6^th, 2006 at the ICT&S Center in Salzburg. The “Living Lab” Study is a pilot project of the ICT&S Center to measure Austria’s development as an Information Society.

The Study was conducted as part of the “Living Labs Europe” initiative which aims at connecting regional innovational spaces throughout Europe. At the moment 20 Living Labs operate in Europe.

A Living Lab is a regional space functioning as a lab to develop prototypes for new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The concept of Living Labs is to provide a dynamic, open and user-centered public space, to bring together stakeholders from economy, the public sector and science in order to encourage innovation and economic development in the field of new technologies on a regional basis. This cooperative work and research “space” enhances the development of prototypes for new ICTs and mobile applications.

The main focus of a Living Lab is on mobile technologies which offer users (citizens, businesses, visitors) more mobility, flexibility and comfort e.g. in their activities at work, at home, in the public as well as during travels. The technologies and applications developed in a Living Lab are user-oriented, aiming at supporting the needs of users, consumers and citizens and actively involving them in the design process. Living Labs Europe enables technology transfers and the creation of cross-national partnerships in the fields of business, the public sector and R&D. Living Labs are network-based organisations in a networked society.

The current study was executed by Interlace-Invent in cooperation with ICT&S Centre from May to October 2006. It analyses Salzburg’s potentials in the field of mobile communication.

Qualitative interviews with stakeholders from the business community, the public sector and science institutions; as well as quantitative, statisticical figures present indicators on the „Mobile Readiness“ of Salzburg.The results will be presented to the public on November 6^th, 2006 at the ICT&S Centre in Salzburg and can be downloaded from http://www.livinglabs-europe.com/salzburg/.

The research for the mWatch study for Salzburg was funded by:

ZIS – Zentrum für Innovation und Standortpolitik

Land Salzburg, Fachabteilung 15: Wirtschaft, Tourismus, Energie

Land Salzburg, Fachabteilung 0/92: Hochschulen, Wissenschaft und Zukunftsfragen

Stadt Salzburg WirtschaftsService

As interview partners for the mWatch study persons representing the following organizations participated:

3united

Austrian Research StudiosFachhochschule Salzburg

GIS Cluster Salzburg

ICT&S Center

Industriellenvereinigung Salzburg

Innovations- und Technologietransfer Salzburg (ITG)

Land Salzburg

Salzburg AG

Salzburg Research

Stadt Salzburg

Standortagentur Salzburg

ZGIS - Zentrum für Geoinformatik Salzburg