Open laboratories for social innovation: a strategy for research and innovation in education for peace and sustainable developmentSustainable development is an issue of high relevance for all countries, and universities play a fundamental role in promotin

Abstract

Purpose Sustainable development is an issue of high relevance for all countries and universities play a fundamental role in promoting the participation of society members in achieving this objective. This study aims to conduct an open laboratory of social innovation (OPENLAB_SI) inside a university with society stakeholders, as a research and innovation tool that facilitates addressing the complexity of social problems through the principles of openness, experimentation, inclusion, diversity, participation and collaboration. The aim was to encompass innovation with the active participation of citizens in processes of experimentation, exchange and creativity to impact their social reality through collective designs for more sustainable futures done by and for communities. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study conducted during an OPENLAB_SI, which applied innovative, socio-educational strategies intending to promote the social appropriation of renewable energies to help the sustainable development of urban, rural and marginalized areas. In our open lab, a total of 67 participants attended, including university students from various public and private institutions of higher education. Also, civil organizations participated, as well as consultants, teachers, government representatives and university professors. Experts from various disciplines who work in businesses, foundations, universities and government spoke on the topics that were addressed. Findings Among the notable principal findings is the collaborative work done voluntarily by all the participants who, instead of working with a proposal designed beforehand by one group or another, recognized that an OPENLAB_SI leads to the creation of links between society, academia, business and government. Originality/value In the OPENLAB_SI through the exchange of experiences and best practices, aimed at more robust networking and improvement in the acquisition of scientific and technological skills and abilities, the participants became actively involved in the generation of collective knowledge. The main contribution of this paper is to present an open laboratory into the social innovation space that can be replicated such a living lab model in other contexts to contribute to pursuit the sustainable development goals with education for sustainable development as a key catalyst for transformation.

How Higher Education Institutions Walk Their Talk on the 2030 Agenda: A Systematic Literature Review

“…A few studies analyze research activities at the micro-level, tackling single SDGs as well as the overall Agenda 2030. One best practice for universities is to open laboratories of social innovation: optimized spaces where participants (internal and external stakeholders) can collaborate to experiment with ideas, raise concerns, and share best practices (Zermeño and de la Garza, 2020). This stream also outlines other specific actions that can reorient higher education toward sustainable development.…”

Remote study for the humanities and social sciences: digitization and coaching

“…To be more precise, Gómez Zermeño and Alemán de la Garza describes the accumulated experience in conducting an open laboratory of social innovation at the university as a tool that facilitates solving the complexity of social problems through the principles of openness, experimentation, inclusion, diversity, participation and cooperation [17]. This is of high significance in another innovative technology -coaching [3].…”

“…[3]. It is also emphasized that "the involvement of social innovations leads to the creation of links between society, academia, the formation of collective knowledge" [17].…”

Student perceptions of Living Lab research internships in the COVID-19 pandemic – a Dutch case study

“…One of the few case-studies that exist, Sroufe (2020) acknowledges the potential for student personal skill development in several areas such as teamwork, communication and problem solving, but these skills are not yet measured nor reported on. In a reflection by Gómez Zermeño and Alemán de la Garza (2020) students indicated that their personal skills, namely, problem-solving-, brainstorming- and entrepreneurship skills improved after being engaged in an LL project. This reflection is unfortunately not benchmarked.…”

“…In this setting, the campus is the LL and students work on an issue posed by the university with the help of professionals. Another setting is described by Gómez Zermeño and Alemán de la Garza (2020), where universities have laboratories in which students, academia and societal partners collaborate in social innovations quests. This setting is embedded in the concept of co-creation with society by involving citizen participants and is mostly applied to create social innovation.…”