Living lab primary care

A living lab or academic worplace is a biotope in which participants think, act and undertake together. It offers a rich and stimulating environment within where is room for learning and knowledge development, practice-oriented research and smart innovation. This is how we work together on positive and impactful change within primary care and care for older adults, two living labs within Health and Care of Artevelde University of Applied Sciences: living lab primary care and living lab Z.O.R.G.

In our living labs, we create impact by initiating impactful social change through tangible results and pioneering innovations. Together, we make tomorrow's care by researching together, elaborating and applying innovation, inspiring and underpinning policy and education! This is how we contribute to positive change within our sector and wider society.

A living lab or acadamic workplace is a sustainable, structural and warm partnership between equal participants

• Care professionals and care organisations in Flanders, from their practical experience and expertise
• Care users and their environment from their lived experience expertise
• Artevelde University of Applied Sciences from expertise in research, innovation and education within the Expertise Network Health and Care
   

We are equal partners, with Artevelde University of Applied Sciences coordinating. Everyone has a say in the goal, direction and activities of the workshop, allowing them to play an active role in shaping the common goal.

Each participant subscribes to the values and ambitions of the living labs. Desire, wonder and curiosity are the driving force, the pursuit of practice-based impact is what we aim for. Openness is central. We encourage each other to share experiences and expertise, because a variety of perspectives is our strength. We like to share our experiences and results further, also outside the academic workshop.

In addition, it is important that participants meet the living labs inclusion criteria to ensure a diverse and inclusive environment.

Each participant invests in the functioning of the living lab according to their own ability.

• Artevelde University of Applied Sciences invests time (10% FTE), resources and knowledge from education, research and innovation
• The other participants make their own contribution, for example by: 
  • freeing up time and staff to participate in the activities of the academic workshop (e.g. co-writing innovation projects, recruiting the target group, collecting data or trying out tools, communicating results, ...);
  • share own data and expertise;
  • contributing working resources or in-kind value, e.g. providing premises, making purchases, etc.

Each participant is an ambassador of the living lab, both within their own organisation and beyond. To actively market the academic workshop concept, all participants actively contribute to activities.

We formalise the cooperation in the form of a letter of intent.