The Chambéry institute is launching a living laboratory to support manufacturers in making a sustainable transition in the face of socio-ecological challenges. This space, co-created with the local ecosystem, aims to promote a robust and socially responsible industry.
A living laboratory co-created with local stakeholders
" The purpose of the Chambéry institute is to support manufacturers in their sustainable and robust transformation in the face of current and future socio-ecological fluctuations, " emphasizes Tatiana Reyes, director of the Chambéry institute. To do this, we want to develop a living, sustainable, open, and inclusive laboratory that demonstrates the possibilities of a robust and socially responsible industry through a process of co-construction and knowledge sharing with the local ecosystem. "
The living laboratory was conceived as a space co-constructed by and for local areas, promoting cooperation, experimentation, and knowledge sharing. It positions itself as an incubator for solutions adapted to various contexts, specificities, and needs of the region, offering everything from green technologies to sober and frugal technologies. It will operate through three areas: training and education, research and innovation, and partnership, transfer, and promotion.
Tools to deploy, serving a living laboratory
It will rely on five essential tools to support industrial transformation:
- A fablab, a space dedicated to sustainable design for local areas, promoting innovation and the creation of prototypes that meet local needs.
- A dismantling and recycling platform to find new uses for materials with a view to promoting a circular economy.
- A platform for characterizing materials, facilitating the selection of sustainable solutions and the optimization of industrial processes.
- Physical and digital showrooms, spaces for presenting solutions, to visualize and understand the innovations developed and their impacts.
- A digital platform, a library, access to educational resources, scientific publications, research data, and developed solutions, tools, and decision-making methods that promote knowledge sharing and collaboration between different stakeholders in the laboratory and society, in an open science and Creative Commons licensing approach.
A crucial position for sustainability and robustness
" In a context where societal challenges linked to planetary boundaries threaten human habitability and where systemic crises are becoming increasingly urgent, the positioning of the living laboratory for the sustainability and resilience of territories is becoming crucial, " concludes Tatiana Reyes. Responding effectively to these global problems requires a socio-technical approach that integrates all scales, from local to global. The ultimate goal is to reduce response times to environmental challenges in order to prevent more serious and profound crises in our territories. These complex challenges require a systemic and interdisciplinary approach combining technological innovation and social innovation."
