What is a Living Lab? 

A Living Lab is all about collaboration. It brings together students, staff, and external partners to test ideas, share knowledge, and develop solutions to address real-life challenges and advance sustainability goals.

Why get involved?

Academic colleagues are invited to adopt briefs that align with their teaching and module aims, working in partnership with the Sustainability Team and the Centre for Innovation in Education (CIE) to integrate the work into the curriculum. An interdisciplinary approach will be encouraged to develop holistic, effective solutions. 

For students, Living Labs provide hands on research opportunities, both within coursework and extracurricular activities. This means applying your knowledge to real-world challenges and making a difference on campus and beyond.

What are we trying to achieve?

The University has the target of net-zero emissions, as well as a 50% reduction of waste sent for incineration by 2025. Living Labs bring together research, teaching, and operations to find creative ways to meet these targets while also tackling wider sustainability challenges.

A Living Lab program will champion and test the research of our academics and provide students with the opportunity to get involved in learning and developing this research further, boosting skills, collaboration and employability.  

What makes a Living Lab unique?

A Living Lab isn’t just about technical solutions, it’s about a fresh way of working. It helps us:

• Make smarter decisions by testing new ideas
• Improve how we learn and evaluate our impact
• Connect students, researchers, and communities for real collaboration

At Liverpool, our Living Labs will be unique. We’re not just focusing on campus, we’re working with local communities to address sustainability challenges in the wider city, making a difference beyond the University.

What are the benefits?

• Interdisciplinary collaboration - Work with students from different fields to tackle shared challenges
• Community impact - Focus on real issues affecting the University and Liverpool
• Innovation and research - Develop and test new ideas that can shape the future
• More efficient use of resources - Cross-disciplinary projects can streamline efforts and reduce reliance on external consultancy
• Hands-on learning - Gain real experience that enhances your studies

By taking part in a Living Lab, students build skills, gain experience, and help make a lasting impact on campus and in the city.

Ready to get involved? Propose a project!