Rural Living Lab of Sekhukhune (original) (raw)
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REAL-WORLD INNOVATION IN RURAL SOUTH AFRICA
A Living Lab is a new way to deal with community-driven innovation. Living Labs represent, mostly regional -innovation environments focusing on user communities embedded within real-life. In Europe the Living Labs concept seems to be largely accepted as a way to deal with innovation and to get insight into what triggers innovation. Several Living Labs are currently gathered in an European Network of Living Labs aiming to share best practices and lessons learned. However, is this emerging model for innovation also applicable to South African context? The current article explores how best practices and lessons learned can speed up innovation in South African's rural communities.
An Action Research Approach to Rural Living Labs Innovation
2008
This paper examines the potential of the Living labs concept as change catalyst for rural and regional development. An action research approach is proposed as a basis for organising innovation in Living labs. The approach distinguishes between strategic and operational Living labs activities. We discuss how software development as spiral process and how architecture framework development can be integrated into action research approaches. The paper is based on the mid-term results achieved in the seven Rural Living Labs launched by the C@R project.
Living Labs for Rural Areas: Contextualization of Living Lab Frameworks, Concepts and Practices
Sustainability, 2019
Living Labs are spaces for innovative and participative research, development and activities that use multidisciplinary approaches and promote the co-creation paradigm. Our specific interest lies in exploring the value of the Living Lab concept for creating environments that enable equal opportunities for people living in rural and urban areas, and for making rural areas attractive places to live. Moreover, through the existing practices and research results available, Living Labs are seen as one of the important building blocks of smart rural development and an important step towards establishing a Smart Village environment. Living Labs are a valuable player in enhancing circular economy, digital transformation, local self-sufficiency and other elements of sustainable living. The main aim of this paper is therefore to put Living Labs in the context of rural areas and evaluate their possible contributions for sustainable rural development. This paper argues that the element of community and social change should be considered as a key element in enabling sustainable living.
Catalysing innovation: the promise of the Living Lab Approach in South Africa
2008
Members of the Meraka Institute of the CSIR have been active in ICT for Development (ICT4D) activities in South Africa and Africa over the last ten years or more. An overview of the lessons learned in the areas of Community Wireless Networks, eHealth and the incubation of community based service enterprises, is provided and the reasons for experimenting with the Living Lab approach is discussed. A research agenda has been developed to guide the Meraka Institute's Living Lab research. The Living Lab approach focuses on community-driven innovation and has the potential to change the perspectives and practices of the various role players involved in ICT4D initiatives. The establishment of the first Living Lab in South Africa started in 2006 and initial experiences have shown both the promise and difficulties in establishing collaborative contexts with multiple role players. The Living Lab approach can make a significant impact in South Africa and the possible role of Living Labs in the South African innovation system is outlined.
Rural living labs-user based innovation for the rural areas
Rural Living Labs (RLL) constitute a new and not yet validated approach of enabling user driven ICT-based innovation initiatives aimed to the development in rural areas. Living labs provide a context for open innovation based on partnerships between all stakeholders. This paper presents some of the characteristics that distinguish the Living Labs from other development methodologies, and presents initial lessons learnt from the C@R Integrated Project. The process of establishing the Living Labs the involvement of users, their roles in the experimentation and innovation processes, and the suitability of the methodology for the rural environment are being discussed in order to reach some conclusions about the suitability of the RLL as tools for development in the rural areas.
Rural development Correspondence to
2016
Abstract: Among the number of the approaches and types of proinnovation structures the living lab concept gathering momentum in last years is one of the most promising in the processes of developing goods and services full-filing consumer demands. The active involvement of end-users in research and innovation life-cycle is a prerequisite for raising competitiveness and improving business environment. It is a way of entrepreneurship encourage-ment and meeting challenges of assuring safety, quality and sustainability in all the spheres of economical life. The paper explores the living labs concept and makes SWOT analysis for the use of the living labs approach in devel-oping sustainable agriculture and tourism sector in rural areas in Bulgaria. It scrutinizes the important questions of establishment and management of such structures. The study considers the use of the approach in a broader aspect through its role in driving innovations for sustainable rural develop-ment. The last one,...