Water Europe is pleased to launch the first edition of the “Atlas of the European Water-Oriented Living Labs” which contains a first-ever mapping and categorisation of European WoLLs (Water-oriented Living Labs).
What are the Water-Oriented Living Labs?
WoLLs are a key tool for the implementation of Water Europe’s Vision “The Value of Water”, to promote the systematic innovations in the water systems that are needed to achieve a Water-Smart Society and economy. WoLLs are defined as:
-Real-life, water-oriented demo-type and platform-type environments of a cross-sector nexus approach.
-‘Field labs’ where a combination of solutions can be developed, tested and validated.
-Open and local multi-stakeholder governance structures with democratic control systems.
5 Key Findings
- Over 200 RDI settings were identified in 24 European countries.
- In total, 105 water oriented living lab research settings met the Water Europe Living Labs assessment criteria.
- The majority of Water oriented Living Labs are located in Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and UK.
- The water oriented living labs have various organizational forms: action lab, association, cluster, experimental catchment, urban lab, water treatment plant, research platform, and network platform.
- The geographical scale of the majority of living labs is sub regional.
To download the Publication, please click HERE
