Lab Mission and Scope
The Sustainability Innovation Lab aims to address complex, systemic challenges by fostering social innovation initiatives. The lab’s scope includes supporting projects that tackle wicked problems such as poverty, inequality, and climate resilience. Drawing from frameworks like transformation labs (T-labs), systemic innovation, and complexity science, the lab will create a space for experimentation, collaboration, and research.
Philosophy and Approach
The lab will utilize a systemic innovation approach, where innovation is viewed as a complex, interconnected process requiring collective problem-solving. This philosophy will guide the lab’s strategy of fostering collaborative innovation across sectors (academia, private, public, and non-profit) to bring about transformative societal change. Initially, the projects will emphasize the Global North, focusing on vulnerable communities.
Lab Activities
Key activities will include:
Hosting innovation sprints inspired by the Exponential Organizations (ExO) framework, designed to generate, prototype, and test transformative solutions
Developing methodologies based on design thinking, lean startup, and participatory approaches.
Collaborating with academic institutions to conduct research on social innovation.
Offering training programs in sustainability and social innovation.
Areas of Operation
The lab will focus on themes like:
Social innovation addressing poverty, inequality, and healthcare.
Sustainable energy and climate adaptation projects.
Circular economy initiatives.
Food security and sustainable agriculture.
Tools and Research
The lab will employ tools like systems mapping, stakeholder engagement, and prototyping workshops. Research will include systemic innovation theories, sustainability metrics, and social impact evaluation.
Preliminary Research
Systemic Innovation and Social Innovation Labs
Systemic innovation, according to Wascher, Kaletka, and Schultze (2019), is the next evolution in innovation practices, designed to address multi-dimensional problems (e.g., climate change) through cross-sectoral collaboration. Innovation labs, specifically social innovation labs, provide a “seedbed” for new ideas, facilitating experimentation with governance, business models, and societal transformation.
Transformation Labs (T-Labs)
Transformation labs (T-labs) are critical to tackling complex societal challenges by offering a structured space for experimentation and learning. According to Pereira et al. (2018), T-labs create environments conducive to deep reflection and innovation, helping bridge knowledge gaps between academia, communities, and policymakers. These labs focus on creating new pathways for societal transitions, particularly in areas related to climate resilience and sustainability.
Impact Evaluation and Innovation Frameworks
Evaluating systemic innovation programs is challenging, especially when the goal is to measure societal transformation. The importance of developing evaluation methods that consider intermediate outcomes and shifts in society rather than traditional, short-term KPIs. Adopting a systemic evaluation culture that is open to new forms of data collection, such as network analysis and outcome harvesting. Such approaches are essential for tracking the progress of innovations aimed at tackling wicked problems, where traditional metrics might fall short.
Lab Problem Space Summary
Wicked Problems
The concept of “wicked problems” refers to societal issues that are difficult to define, multifaceted, and resistant to resolution. These include climate change, systemic poverty, and inequality, which are deeply intertwined and require collaborative, innovative approaches to address.
Current Efforts and Challenges
Despite numerous efforts by governments, NGOs, and academic institutions, progress in addressing wicked problems has been slow. Many projects fail due to their inability to scale, insufficient stakeholder engagement, and lack of systemic thinking. Edwards-Schachter (2022), for instance, notes that while living labs and other collaborative spaces have brought on some progress, they have struggled embedding innovations into broader societal systems.
Systemic Innovation as a Solution
Systemic innovation approaches have been gaining traction as a way to tackle wicked problems. By focusing on shifting the systems that underlie societal challenges, systemic innovation labs (such as the proposed Sustainability Innovation Lab) aim to drive large-scale, long-term change. These labs bring together diverse stakeholders to co-create solutions, iteratively test them, and refine approaches to generate scalable, sustainable impacts.
Critical Research Areas
Key research themes that need to be explored include:
Effective methods for fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and civil society in innovation processes.
Sustainable business models for social innovation.
Evaluation frameworks for measuring systemic change and societal impact.
Tools and frameworks for applying systems thinking to complex societal challenges.
Detailed Sustainability Lab Concept Outline
Lab Mission and Vision:
The Sustainability Innovation Lab (T-Lab) will function as a research hub, think-and-do tank, and incubator focused on sustainability and systemic social innovation. Its mission is to develop, test, and implement innovative solutions for wicked problems affecting vulnerable communities, including issues like climate change, poverty, and inequality. The lab’s vision is to create a framework that can be scaled globally to address sustainability challenges across sectors and geographies.
Core Focus Areas:
Social Innovation: The lab will incubate social enterprises, nonprofit initiatives, and academic research projects focused on reducing poverty, promoting social equity, and addressing access issues in healthcare, education, and housing.
Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience: Develop and support renewable energy solutions and climate adaptation projects.
Circular Economy: Promote sustainable production and consumption, supporting initiatives in waste reduction and resource management.
Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture: Implement and support projects related to sustainable food systems and agriculture.
Principles and Framework:
Systems Thinking: T-Lab will employ systems thinking methodologies to address interconnected issues. This includes holistic approaches, recognizing the complexity and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental systems.
Design Thinking and ExO Framework: Using iterative innovation, the lab will adopt design thinking strategies, focusing on user-centered approaches and rapid prototyping to develop sustainable solutions.
Transformation Labs (T-Labs): Inspired by transformation labs, the lab will engage in participatory design processes that involve stakeholders from vulnerable communities in co-creating solutions
Equity, Inclusion, Sustainability, Long-term thinking, Ubuntu Ethics
Outputs:
Incubation Programs: The lab will run innovation sprints to nurture and launch impactful projects.
Publications: The lab will produce research papers, white papers, and toolkits to share findings.
Workshops and Trainings: Educational programs focused on sustainability and social innovation, aimed at students, policymakers, and the broader community.