Luleå University of Technology

Botnia Living Lab, hosted by Luleå University of Technology, focuses on human-centric research, and the development and innovation of new ICT-based services. Botnia started in 2000 and has matured from a test-bed to a real-life laboratory. Today, Botnia is a world-leading environment for user-centric research, development and innovation (RDI), instrumented by methods, tools and experts, for interaction with user groups. Botnia Living Lab is an effective member as well as member of the council in the European Network of Living Labs and was one of the founders of the network. The overall objective is to contribute to the creation of a dynamic European innovation system, with a global reach. The Botnia Living Lab is constantly being developed further in close cooperation with end-users and stakeholders as well as researchers at Luleå University. The FormIT methodology developed at Botnia assists in Living Labs operations with users and other stakeholders as well as to assess the impact of the approach. Botnia’s track record includes application areas such as: Smart Cities, mobile marketing, traffic information, energy efficiency, sports and culture, e-democracy and security and privacy. Botnia has also assisted several new Living Labs in the start-up phase to create a sustainable living lab operation.

The division of Information Systems at LTU in Sweden is a design- and innovation oriented research group that focuses on digital service innovation, information security and long-term digital preservation. We have more than 20 years of experience from research and development within the field of user-centred and user driven service innovation. Within this area we have a particular interest in processes and milieus for user centred digital innovations such as Living Labs. We are the main research partner of Botnia Living Lab. Architecture research includes architecture, technical direction, building construction, urban planning, cultural heritage, spatial planning and traffic planning for sustainable development in society. The research team sees architecture, design, economic, practical and functional design integrated with the aesthetic, harmonious, and symbolic dimensions. It also includes what architecture means for the relationship between people, nature, history and built environment in the various levels of society. We investigate and develop innovative proposals for how planning processes can be further developed, the urban and built environments, and buildings can be designed to better meet the needs and desires, resulting in large variations in seasonal climate and future climate change.