A Living-Lab is a real test bed and an experimentation environment where users and producers can co-create innovations.

Its main objective is to create new products, services and appropriate infrastructure to the real needs of society. These processes involve both public and private groups. Scenarios offered are the spaces where technological prototypes are developed and tested for improving citizen welfare and which will have a real and proven effectiveness.

The European Commission characterises Living-Labs as Public-Private-People Alliance (PPP) for user-driven open innovation. Living-Labs are based on four main activities:

• Co-creation: users and producers co-design.
• Exploration: discovering of emerging usages, behaviours and market opportunities.
• Experimentation: implementing “live” scenarios within user communities.

• Evaluation: evaluation of concepts, products and services according to socio-ergonomic, socio-cognitive and socio-economic criteria.