TY - JOUR T1 - Innovation in the Public Sector: Exploring the Characteristics and Potential of Living Labs and Innovation Labs JF - Technology Innovation Management Review Y1 - 2017 A1 - Dimitri Schuurman A1 - Piret Tõnurist KW - collaborative innovation KW - innovation labs KW - living labs KW - Open innovation KW - public sector KW - user innovation AB - Living labs and innovation labs share many common traits and characteristics. Both concepts are linked to the public sector, and both concepts can be regarded as coping mechanisms to deal with contemporary changes in the innovation landscape and within society as a whole. Both build on past initiatives and practices, but are also struggling to find their own clear identity and “raison d’être”. Because both concepts are largely practice-driven, their theoretical underpinnings and foundations are mostly established after the fact: making sense of current practice rather than carefully researching and planning the further development. However, despite their similarities and common ground, most researchers treat living labs and innovation labs as separate literature streams. Here, starting from a review of the current issues and challenges with innovation in the public sector, we look for links between both concepts by analyzing the current definitions, the predecessors, and the “state of the art” in terms of empirical research. Based on these findings, we summarize a set of similarities and differences between both concepts and propose a model towards more collaboration, mutual exchange, and integration of practices between innovation labs, which can be regarded as initiators of innovation, and living labs, which can be regarded as executors of innovation. Thus, we add to the conceptual development of both concepts and propose a roadmap for the further integration of both the theory and practice of living labs and innovation labs. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa VL - 7 UR - http://timreview.ca/article/1045 IS - 1 U1 - imec – MICT – Ghent University Dimitri Schuurman is the Team Lead in User Research at imec.livinglabs and a Senior Researcher at imec – MICT – Ghent University in Belgium. He holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences from Ghent University. Together with his imec colleagues, Dimitri developed a specific living lab offering targeted at entrepreneurs in which he has managed over 100 innovation projects. Dimitri is responsible for the methodology and academic valorization of these living lab projects and coordinates a dynamic team of living lab researchers. His main interests and research topics are situated in the domains of open innovation, user innovation, and innovation management. His PhD thesis was entitled Bridging the Gap between Open and User Innovation? Exploring the Value of Living Labs as a Means to Structure User Contribution and Manage Distributed Innovation. U2 - Tallinn University of Technology Piret Tõnurist is a Policy Analyst for the OECD and holds a research fellowship in Tallinn University of Technology’s Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance in Estonia. She is a co-chair of the European Group for Public Administration permanent study group Behavioral Public Administration. She has previously worked as a consultant in the Parliament of Estonia (the Riigikogu) and as a performance auditor for the National Audit Office. Her main research interests are connected to public sector innovation, co-creation, innovation policy management (including state-owned companies) and energy technologies. She holds a PhD in Public Administration (Technology Governance) from Tallinn University of Technology and a MSc in policy evaluation from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. ER -