Co-creation Lab Manager Certificate

Learning Objectives

At the end of this training, the learner will be able to:

1. organize and manage a portfolio of 10 projects within the social lab

2. deploy Bridging Leadership interventions in order to own, co-own, and co-create the social lab processes with Teaching Fellows, lab staff, and project teams

3. co-create innovation ecosystems with other stakeholders and partner social labs

Overview (from EU Social Lab Methodology Manual)

A social lab results from the constant collaboration of different stakeholders. That does not mean that each individual take part in all the processes and share all their duties with others. Building on past work of Timmermans et al (forthcoming), we will identify four social lab roles.

Main-case owners: these are the participants in a project that want to implement social lab methodology within their process. The main case owner is expected to implement an intervention that is discussed with other partners during the design process. Ideally, main-case owners that participate in the social lab come from all four of the main ‘quadruple helix’ groups involved in that case: policy-makers, scientists, citizens and industry players.

Mirror-case owners: these are the stakeholders that are affected by (and thus have an interest in solving) the complex problem but that are not expected to implement the intervention that is discussed during the design process. A mirror-case is thus similar to the main case but its owners are not expected to (or supported in) the implementation of the intervention.

Researchers have a cognitive stake in the context under discussion. They participate in the social lab because they want to understand the phenomenon in question and they want to draw more general lessons that can be applied beyond that case. They can contribute with knowledge of communication models (discussion formats) and

knowledge of the field under discussion (governance, industry, education, ethics etc.)

Facilitators. Social lab facilitators deal with the organizational side of the social lab. The managers are the ones making decisions regarding the organization; the facilitators are the ones engaging in a discussion with case owners (main & mirror case) during meetings.

Source: EU D1.2 Social Lab Methodology Manual p.10 (2018)

Discussion on various aspects of setting up Social Labs/Co-creation Labs in Local Universities