Leeds Living Lab

The Living Lab concept provides an innovative approach to address ‘real-world’ sustainability challenges and develop solutions for social, environmental or economic benefit. To address the complex challenges our society is facing, we need to challenge existing ways of working and engage a wide range of stakeholders to create solutions that are responsive and adaptable, ensuring they are both scalable and sustainable in the long term. By involving diverse perspectives, Living Labs  foster innovation and collaboration, leading to solutions that can be effectively implemented and replicated across different contexts.  

Here at Leeds, we are using the campus and our communities as a test bed, bringing together students, academics, operational staff and external partners to research sustainable innovations, refresh the curriculum and enhance shared knowledge and action. Research in this context is not limited to traditional academic studies but also includes practical, hands-on investigations and collaborative problem-solving.

The Leeds Living Lab is open to all staff and students across the University. We help facilitate collaborative projects that address real-world sustainability challenges, across any discipline, service or department.    

The Sustainability Service can support you to set up and deliver projects, as well as helping to identify and engage partners. We may also be able to offer funding through a variety of channels, including our annual funding call, with themes that change yearly.  

Are you a member of staff wanting to find out more? Up to date information on current projects, our annual funding call, and a range of other resources can be found on our Living Labs SharePoint site  

Students looking for inspiration from past and present Living Lab projects can read more about ideas for research projects. 

If you would like to discuss an idea for a Living Lab project, please get in touch at [email protected]. 

Read on for information about historic Living Lab projects.