1h webinar | Exploring the Transformative Potential of Living Labs | 24 September 2026
Backhaus, Julia
Dear colleagues,
To engage in a critical discussion on the role of Living Labs in supporting sustainable consumption and to celebrate the publication of a special issue of Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy on the same topic, the Living Labs Incubator of RWTH Aachen University, the Department of Sociology at the University of Geneva, and SCORAI Europe warmly invite participation in a one-hour online webinar (link to the event page).
When: Thursday, 24 September 2026,
2:00-3:00 pm CEST (Berlin/Geneva),
1:00-2:00 pm BST (London),
9:00-10:00 am BRT (Brasília),
8:00-9:00 am EDT (New York),
5:00–6:00 am PDT (Los Angeles)
Where: online via Zoom.
How: Please register through this link. The Zoom link will be shared on the day before the event.
The webinar will introduce the special issue "Living Labs: Reflecting on the Structuration of Transformation and Addressing Impacts, Replicability, and Scalability", providing an overview of the editorial and the eight original research articles that collectively examine the promises, challenges, and future directions of Living Labs as spaces for transformative change.
Alongside a brief introduction to the special issue as a whole, four contributing authors will present their work in brief:
· Jun.-Prof. Karoline Augenstein: "An Embedded Agency Perspective on Exploring Context, Mechanisms of Change, and Impact of Real-World Labs"
- Dr. Julia Epp: "Scaling the Impact of the Energy Transition through Inclusivity and Diversity across Living Labs"
- Elizabeth Galdámez & Dr. Beatriz Kauark Fontes: “Beyond experimentation: how are urban nature-based solutions living labs in Europe and Latin America designed and implemented for transformative change?”
The webinar will be hosted by Prof. Maurie Cohen, Editor of Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, together with the guest editors Dr. Julia Backhaus and Dr. Julien Forbat.
The session aims to spark discussion and exchange on the contributions, findings, and future directions of Living Lab research.
Looking forward to seeing many of you there,
Julia, Julien and Maurie
--
Dr. Julia Backhaus
Co-Lead Living Labs Incubator
LLI | Living Labs Incubator
HumTec | Human Technology Center
RWTH Aachen University
Theaterplatz 14 | 52159 Aachen
Phone | +49 241 8025503