A blue biotechnologies Living Lab in the Mediterranean - not the sum of its participant organisations but the sum of the people in those organisations

Abstract

Although living labs are rapidly increasing in number around the world, the majority are still oriented towards information technologies or social innovation, with the end-users as members of civil society. The key concept behind a living lab has traditionally been to ensure faster end-product success in industry; here, however, we explore the use of the living lab with a ‘carrot and stick’ approach in order to facilitate completion of a sustainable marine biotech production chain. The Bythos joint Living Lab has spaces in both Sicily and Malta and has been operational since the end of 2018. It is a collaboration between research institutes from the University of Palermo and the University of Malta; the public sector, with the Malta Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DFA, Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights), the Council for the Island of Lipari and other Aeolian Islands, and the Distretto Pescaturismo e Cultura del Mare (a Fishing Tourism District representing 12 fishing towns and associations in Sicily); and enterprise, with an aquaculture consultancy company from Malta, AquaBioTech Group. It is funded by the EU Interreg Italia-Malta V-A programme.