oa Kennisuitwisseling voor innovatieontwikkeling in open-innovatienetwerken

Knowledge exchange for innovation development in open innovation systems

‘Living Lab research’ has been put forward by the European Commission as a solution to bridge the gap between knowledge exploration and exploitation. In this context, the European Network of Living Labs was founded in 2006. However, these Living Labs have not yet reached their full potential. Therefore, conceptualizing and understanding the mechanisms and processes within these Living Labs is necessary. Based on a case study analysis, this paper investigates the potential of Living Labs as open innovation networks and the ability to share knowledge between different actors within these networks. It elaborates on (parameters that affect) knowledge transfers within an open innovation network. Due to the particular constellation as an open innovation network, Living Labs can be a solution for sustainable innovation developments. This open innovation network acts as an innovation intermediary within the innovation projects taking place during the Living Lab allowing optimization of knowledge transfers between the participating actors.