Advancing University Living Labs: Relational Infrastructure for Transformative Impact Report

Front cover of “Advancing University Living Labs: Relational Infrastructure for Transformative Impact”

In their report Advancing University Living Labs: Relational Infrastructure for Transformative Impact, Future of Lab contributor, Sam Rye, together with Lucy Donaldson, Matthew French, Jacek Jasieniak, and Rob Raven from Monash University, explores how universities can play a more active role in driving transformative change through University Living Labs. Drawing on more than ten years of experience across nine Monash Living Labs, the authors highlight practical ways that research, learning, and collaboration can intersect to support meaningful, systemic change.

Their work centers on three key ideas:

• Experiments: linking research with real-world testing to explore solutions in context

• Infrastructure: developing the organizational and relational foundations that sustain learning and experimentation over time

• Ecosystems: cultivating partnerships across disciplines, sectors, and communities to extend impact

The report invites readers to see universities not only as places of knowledge creation but as relational infrastructures that bring people together, foster collaboration, and help society navigate complex challenges.