Apollon Publishable Summary

September, 2012

Apollon

Advanced Pilots Of Living Labs Operating in Networks The APOLLON project aimed at demonstrating the positive impacts of cross-border domain-specific Living Lab networks, by setting up an advanced pilot composed of 4 thematically focused European-wide Living Lab experiments. In the experiments, SMEs are enabled to take part in cross-border Living Lab experiments beyond their home markets, and are supported by large industrial companies, academic centres and other stakeholders.

The pioneering approach of Living Labs was to

AT A GLANCE

improve the innovation process by establishing

Project: Apollon

business-citizens-government

Project Coordinator : Pieter Ballon, iMinds VZW

enable users to participate in R&D at an early

partnerships

that

stage. European Living Labs are at the forefront

Partners from: Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Italy

of defining and putting into practice this new approach within the context of their local ecosystem. Currently, Europe-wide federation and

Duration: November 2009 to May 2012

networking between Living Labs is primarily aimed

Total Cost: 8 mio EUR, 4 mio â‚Ź EC Funding

at harmonising best practices for setting up and

Programme: ICT PSP 3rd Call

conducting individual Living Lab research. In addition, Living Labs are collaborating across

Further information: pieter.ballon@iminds.be www.apollon-pilot.eu

Europe at an individual project level.

It is commonly thought that strongly increased

Scope and Objectives

cross-border

The pilot aimed at the sharing and harmonisation of Living Lab approaches and platforms between networks of

exemplary

European

Living

Labs,

and

the

subsequent evaluation and exchange of results on a European and even worldwide level.

Living

Lab

collaboration

would

potentially yield huge added value for Europe, as it enables participate

firms, in

most

particularly

domain-specific

SMEs,

to

innovation

ecosystems at a European scale, without losing sight of local circumstances and idiosyncrasies.

Therefore,

the

next

step

in

Living

Lab

networking is to pilot a more intensive, permanent

and scalable collaboration, resulting in methodologies,

specifically designed to pilot and validate that

tools and sustainable organisational structures for

cross-border

cross-border domain-specific Living Lab networks. The

between

APOLLON project has answered to the call of the

improvements

European ICT-PSP work programme to pilot and share

innovation, that it brings significant added value to

best practices across Living Labs involving SMEs as

SMEs including micro entrepreneurs, and that it

key user- and provider-participants.

leads to sustainable networks strengthening the

domain-specific

Living

Labs

in

collaboration

leads

ICT

to

product

measurable and

service

European innovation fabric.

APOLLON addressed four major domains in which Furthermore,

each

complementary

experiment focus

had

on

a

specific

harmonisation and networking aspects, i.e. a common

ecosystem,

a

common

benchmark

framework, a common technology platform, and a common integration framework. The APOLLON general framework for piloting a cross-border domain-specific Living Lab network is depicted below.

Technical Approach Therefore, the activities of the project were ICT products and services innovation may benefit most from cross-border Living Lab networking. These are: (1) Homecare

and

Independent

Living,

(2)

Energy

Efficiency, (3) eManufacturing and (4) eParticipation and Social Media. In each of these domains, innovation is crucially dependent upon good knowledge of / embedding in local ecosystems on the one hand, and the ability to scale up to a European level on the other

situated on two tightly interconnected levels featured throughout the project. The ground level is the so-called ‘vertical’ level, i.e. the level of the Homecare

and

Independent

Living,

Energy

Efficiency, eManufacturing and eParticipation and Social Media domains. Here, the focus is on validating the added value of a cross-border Living Lab

network

to

deliver

a

domain-specific

breakthrough and to engage business stakeholders

hand.

(especially SMEs), end-users as well as public

initiatives connected to lead markets, as well as a number of prominent Living Labs, industrial and SME stakeholders, can be identified that have a clear

stakeholders in innovation at a European scale.

In each of these pilots a specific use case was investigated, i.e.: -

Remote

expressed need for scaling up through cross-border networking.

Moreover,

cross-border

Living

-

Independent

Gateway

and

Living:

sensor-based

Energy Efficiency: Research benchmark for user empowerment

national and European policy priorities.

Throughout the domains, real-life experiments were ICT PSP Call 3

and

systems

Lab

networking in these domains responded to a range of

Homecare

2/4

eManufacturing: service platform

An

Integration

and

Apollon Fact sheet

In each of these domains a set of dynamic projects and

-

eParticipation and Social Media: Integration

to what extent it helps to do this faster, easier and

framework of different services

more efficiently. This model was applied to two Independent Living Services applications.

The upper level is the so-called ‘horizontal’ level, where

2.

A

common

benchmark

framework

(Energy Efficiency experiment)

common methodologies and tools for cross-border Living Lab networking are being set up, tested and

This experiment developed a common benchmark

validated, and where work on governance and business

framework that was deployed in all Living Labs

models as well as European and worldwide transfer and

taking part in the Energy Efficiency experiment.

dissemination will ensure a scalable and sustainable

The main focus here was to assess the scalability

outcome. As mentioned earlier, the vertical experiments

of the Living Lab network, its services, and the

will each have a complementary focus on specific

comparability of research data within cross-border

cross-border harmonisation and networking aspects, i.e.

projects. This model set benchmark criteria for a

on

common

well-functioning energy Living Lab service delivery

benchmark framework, using a common technology

and provided a clear model of network efficiencies

platform, and creating a common integration framework.

related to a shared platform of Living Lab services.

building

a

common

ecosystem,

a

This model was applied in e.g. the energy efficiency domain to assess the impact of smart-

This will result in:

metering on user behaviour.

A common eco-system model (Homecare

3.

A

common

technology

platform

(eManufacturing experiment)

and Independent Living experiment) In the first experiment an existing solution, which is

In this experiment a common technology platform

piloted in a local Living Lab, was transferred to one

was introduced and used by each of the domain

other Living Lab belonging to the network. The focus

specific Living labs. The objective of this approach

within this approach was to determine what kind of

was not only to see to what extent the use of such

ecosystem, value network and common approach

a common platform facilitates the transfer of

needs to be in place to conduct cross-border pilots (in

projects

the domain of Homecare and Independent Living) and

investigate whether this stimulates new forms of

ICT PSP Call 3

3/4

between

Living

Labs

but

also

to

Apollon Fact sheet

1.

collaboration

between

different

partners.

The

1.

and conduct cross-border Living Lab pilot

experiment installed and adapt a research prototype

networks

called RWIP with additional integration logic and services capability that was used in the participating

2.

A recommended toolset for facilitating cross-border research

Living Labs.

4.

A set of validated methodologies to set up

An integration framework (eParticipation and

3.

Set up of European thematic Living Lab networks within ENoLL iVZW

Social Media experiment) In this experiment we transferred and integrated several locally tested applications into each of the different

4.

involving SMEs 5.

Living Labs that were active in the network. By

Impact assessment of the specific added value in terms of results as well as

deploying the integrated solution in all of the Living Labs

operational

we were able to test more accurately the advantages, best practices and limitations (on an organisational,

A framework and practical guidelines for

efficiencies

of

the cross-

border approach 6.

technical and research level) of cross-border activities

Recommendations and action plans for viable, sustainable and scalable roll-outs

within the network.

to further domains and sectors

Outcomes and Benefits

These project results were made freely available

The APOLLON target outcomes were to deliver concrete results and guidelines in terms of building common ecosystems and Living Lab networks, common benchmark and impact assessment frameworks, using common technology platforms, and creating common

through the European Network of Living Labs iVZW and their website: •

http://knowledgecentre.openlivinglabs.eu

•

https://apollonsap.iminds.be

integration methodologies. At the end of the project the

At the kick-off of Apollon in 2008, 64% of SMEs had 0-5% international turnover. By 2012 this number was reduced to 27%. Overall, important increases for international turnover for SMEs were measured projectwide.

SME and Industrial feedback pointed out the positive impact of Operating in thematically focused Living Lab Ecosystems in their Product and Business Development processes.

ICT PSP Call 3

4/4

Apollon Fact sheet

following goals were achieved:

The Consortium The APOLLON Consortium consists of 29 Core Partners in 10 European member states. It involves

Participant organisation name

Living Labs, SMEs, large ICT companies as well as

Living Labs

Country

research partners. Through a close co-operation with

iMinds VZW (Coördinator)

BE

the

Amsterdam Innovation Motor

NL

dissemination and involvement of the Living Lab

ESOCE Net

IT

community is ensured.

FIAPAL

PT

A current list of the supporting partners, as well as all

Forum Virium

FI

public deliverables for APOLLON can be found at

Hungarian Vehicle Engineering Cluster

HU

www.apollon-pilot.eu .

iAvante

ES

ISSY Media

FR

Lisboa E Nova

PT

Manchester City Council

UK

European

Network

of

Living

Labs,

wide

Academic Partners Helsinki School of Economics

FI

Luleå University of Technology

SE

Novay

NL

University of Maribor

SI

Université de Paris VIII

FR

Industrial Partners SAP AG

DE

Liander NV

NL

Logica Nederland BV

NL

For further information:

Information Desk European Commission Communications Networks, Content & Technology DG Office: BU31 01/18 B-1049 Brussels Email: cnect-desk@ec.europa.eu Tel: +32 2 299 93 99 Fax: +32 2 299 94 99 http://europa.eu/information_society

ICT PSP Call 3

5/4

Virdual

FR

AlfaMicro

PT

Home Automation Europe

NL

Innoviting

NL

Intelligent Sensing Anywhere

PT

Lulea Energi

SE

NAVIDIS

FR

Process Vision Oy

FI

People's Voice Media

UK

TELEVIC

BE

Ydreams

PT Apollon Fact sheet

SMEs