Network Purpose
The Network aims to support Sustainability functions at higher education institutionsto adopt and strengthen their Living Lab activities for decarbonization.
Through knowledge exchange and experience sharing, this global peer network aims to promote creative, open innovation approaches to decarbonization, and to serve as a platform to connect like-minded academic faculty and campus operations teams.
“Advancing Our Living Labs” Workshop, June 2026
Activities
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Virtual Workshops: Regular discussions to share best practices and build a library of resources for Living Lab programs.
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Capacity-Building Forums: In-person sessions designed to bridge knowledge gaps between Living Lab staff, academic researchers, and campus facilities managers.
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Decarbonization Case Study Knowledge Base: A comprehensive database of net-zero research projects to facilitate cross-campus collaboration.
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Living Lab Showcase Recognition: An awards program that highlights innovative decarbonization projects developed using the Living Labs approach.
The Lab Zero Campus Network is pleased to present the inaugural Living Lab Forum. Held in conjunction with HKUST’s Living Lab Week (read last year’s recap), the Forum brings together higher education sustainability practitioners to buildcapacity to launch, drive, and extend living labs collaboration across the university and beyond.
The inaugural in-person "Lab Zero Campus Network" workshop was held during the 2025 Global Sustainable Development Congress. With the aim to build Living Lab capacity through best practices sharing and case examples, we were delighted to invite University of Liverpool represented by Sally Shaw and Laela Purvis-Greenway to share their insights on their recently-launched Living Labs program. We learned about their entrepreneurial approach supporting their Living Labs projects by fitting them into existing mechanisms/capacity, and their creative approach to applying Living Labs to existing projects. This sparked a lively discussion about how we engage our senior leadership.
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