A Reference Model for Interoperable Living Labs Towards Establishing Productive Networks

Interoperability has been regarded as an influential factor, but (concurrently) critical for organizations and enterprises that intend to become powerful, efficient, and competitive in turbulent markets. Furthermore, open-innovation ecosystems and research environments such as Living Labs (LLs) have shown high potential capabilities in establishing, joining, and/or incorporating in an interoperable network of labs. Interoperability enables the LLs to exchange their knowledge, information, data, experiences, and findings with other labs at different levels. An interoperable LL on the one hand has the potential to raise its values, e.g., to promote the workflows and improve outcomes, and on the other hand to reduce the duplication of its efforts or errors. On this account, the main goal of this study is to propose a (generic) reference model for interoperable living labs (RM-ILL) that can steer and support LLs in establishing and developing interoperable network(s) of labs. RM-ILL can also facilitate the understanding of related concepts used in this specific context. RM-ILL is developed in the light of ARCON modelling framework which helps to achieve interoperability at different levels of abstraction and collaboration. This study demonstrates the applicability and usefulness of RM-ILL, addressing how RM-ILL can help the establishment and development of an interoperable network of labs supported by the CARELINK project.