University-based Living Labs: Exploring challenges, boundary dynamics and strategic management

This dissertation investigates the challenges around the management of Living labs. Living labs can be defined as a physical arena as well as a collaborative approach in which academic researchers together with citizens and representatives from businesses and (semi-) public organisations have space to experiment, co-create and test innovation in real-life environments. Living labs are increasingly applied by universities to study critical societal challenges around sustainability, social equity and public health. However, the managers and principal researchers in Living labs are facing several challenges. They have to navigate diverse stakeholder expectations and are facing academic traditions and boundaries. At the same time, the labs require collaborative, transdisciplinary approaches to knowledge co-creation. This dissertation seeks to study these boundary dynamics. It offers insights into how living labs can align with the education and research missions of the university while also creating societal impact. Through a systematic literature review and two in-depth case studies, the living lab's strategic management and its approaches to project management are explored. Through balancing traditional and adaptive management styles and different types of boundary work the lab’s managers are fostering collaboration, thus enhancing the lab’s effectiveness. The dissertation’s findings provide both theoretical and practical contributions to the study of living labs. It underscores the transformative potential of these labs as platforms for universities committed to addressing global challenges.