Living Labs: Accelerating Systemic Innovation in the AgriFood Sector

In an era marked by massive investment in innovation and limited return, the agri-food sector sits at the center of a paradox: bold ideas are plentiful, but scalable, impactful transformation remains rare. Despite the billions poured into R&D, innovation programs, and startup ecosystems, the numbers are sobering:

• 95% of new products never succeed in the marketplace
• Up to 90% of innovation projects fail before launch
• Only 10% of startups survive past year one

Clearly, something needs to change—not just what we innovate, but how we innovate.

Enter Living Labs: A New Infrastructure for Systemic Change

Living Labs are real-world, user-centered innovation ecosystems designed to address complex local challenges by connecting citizens, businesses, researchers, and public institutions. They are not one-off pilots—they are infrastructure for transformation, offering a way to systematically co-create, test, and scale innovations directly in the environments where they’re needed.

The Promise of Living Labs

• Multi-stakeholder co-creation: Engage the full “Quadruple Helix” (citizens, government, industry, academia) in problem-solving and decision-making.
• Territorial focus: Operate in clearly defined regions—cities, rural zones, or regions—tailoring innovation to context-specific challenges.
• Sandbox environments: Provide controlled but authentic spaces to test emerging technologies and business models.
• In-field incubation: Validate and refine innovations within real market and community contexts.
• Systemic scaling: Transition from fragmented pilots to ecosystem-wide adoption, building new value chains and reinforcing regional transformation.

Overcoming the Innovation/Impact Gap

Many innovation programs generate outputs—prototypes, patents, pilots—but fail to translate those into widespread adoption or market success. Living Labs close that gap by shifting innovation out of the lab and into the territories, communities, and value chains where impact actually occurs.

This approach addresses:

• The “Valley of Death” between prototyping and scale-up
• The fragmentation of corporate ESG efforts
• The disconnect between startups and real market needs
• The lack of systemic governance in innovation programs

Naked Innovations’ Living Lab Program (LLP)

To operationalize this vision, Naked Innovations has developed a structured Living Lab Program (LLP) for the agri-food sector. Its mission: to create a transformative innovation infrastructure across regions, accelerating the market readiness and adoption of high-impact solutions.

Key Pillars of the LLP

1. Territorial Challenge Identification
   Deep scanning of regional pain points, strengths, and strategic opportunities.
2. Stakeholder Engagement & Co-Creation
   Structured collaboration among diverse actors using participatory tools like Shared Agendas.
3. Technology & Solution Validation
   Scouting, selecting, and piloting innovations with a strong fit for regional transformation.
4. Connected Living Lab Network
   A growing network of Labs (e.g., CONCAT, AgroDelta, Alcarràs) sharing best practices, tools, and scalable models.
5. Scaling & Value Chain Development
   Move beyond pilots to establish new local markets, supply chains, and scaling partnerships.

Refurbishing the Partnership Model

Living Labs thrive on cross-sector partnerships. The LLP brings together:

• Local Governments: Co-create policies, pilot strategic projects, and foster citizen acceptance
• R&D Institutions: Validate tech in real-world contexts, align research with market needs, and access funding
• Startups & Accelerators: Provide authentic market immersion, early feedback, and rapid experimentation
• Corporates: Sponsor or launch Labs to pilot sustainable solutions and de-risk innovation investments

The Corporate Living Lab Accelerator

Corporates can plug into the LLP in two ways:

1. Corporate Living Labs
   • Targeted startup scouting aligned with transformation goals
   • Tailored co-design with internal teams
   • Real-world validation with measurable outcomes
   • Go-to-market and impact scaling
2. Corporate-Sponsored Pilots
   • Co-create pilots with public institutions, farmers, and SMEs
   • De-risk innovation through stakeholder engagement
   • Test solutions cost-effectively in real-life conditions
   • Track ESG outcomes and boost sustainable brand leadership

Scaling Through Networks

To amplify impact, the LLP is embedding Living Labs in a networked ecosystem across Europe. Key components include:

• Capacity Building: Training LL teams in stakeholder engagement, governance, and co-design
• Best-Practice Sharing: Connecting Labs for mutual learning and solution exchange
• Joint Pilots: Collaborating across territories on replicable, scalable projects
• EU-Level Integration: Participating in cross-border initiatives and funding platforms

Toward a Regenerative Innovation Future

Living Labs offer more than just innovation—they offer a pathway to regenerative, inclusive, and systemic transformation. By rooting innovation in the daily lives of people and places, they replace top-down disruption with bottom-up co-creation, accelerating adoption, reducing risk, and delivering real impact.

In a world where bold ideas are no longer enough, Living Labs are the infrastructure we need to turn innovation into transformation.

Ready to transform your region or organization through a Living Lab?
Explore partnership opportunities with Naked Innovations' LLP and join the movement to reinvent agri-food systems for the future.

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