JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 16(8): 1089-1101, doi: 10.3217/jucs-016-08-1089
Introducing Living Lab's Method as Knowledge Transfer from one Socio-Institutional Context to another: Evidence from Helsinki-Tallinn Cross-Border Region
expand article infoKatri-Liis Lepik‡, Merle Krigul‡, Erik Terk§
‡ Estonian Business School, Tallinn, Estonia§ Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia

Corresponding author: Katri-Liis Lepik ( kats@retked.ee )

© Katri-Liis Lepik, Merle Krigul, Erik Terk.
This article is freely available under the J.UCS Open Content License.
Citation: Lepik K-L, Krigul M, Terk E (2010) Introducing Living Lab's Method as Knowledge Transfer from one Socio-Institutional Context to another: Evidence from Helsinki-Tallinn Cross-Border Region. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 16(8): 1089-1101. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-016-08-1089
Open Access
Abstract
The present article aims to describe the Living Lab’s method as a method innovation in institutional activities and the problems of taking this innovation into use. Possibilities to transfer the Living Lab's method from one country, Finland, to other, Estonia, potential implementation fields and obstacles are studied. Considerations on the process of utilising the Living Lab's method in Tallinn are given. Living Lab's is a human-centric research and development approach in which new technologies are co-created, tested, and evaluated in the users’ own private context. This method is coming into use in several countries among which Finland is in the forefront but is not yet in use in Tallinn, Estonia. The empirical part of the research is based on the analyses of fourteen interviews conducted among Tallinn and Helsinki city officials, representatives of technology enterprises, experts of the fields that are internationally most wide-spread Living Labs' testing grounds, using structured interviews and discussions. The article concludes by discussing possibilities to use the Living Lab's method in enhancing Helsinki-Tallinn cross-border co-operation and thus metropolitan regional integration.
Keywords
cross-border co-operation, Living Lab, Living Lab’s method, open innovation, Helsinki-Tallinn Euregio, knowledge transfer, method innovation