Topic: benchmarking and multi-criteria evaluation practices for defining the potential of eco-innovations and for promoting sharing of knowledge roles for new ICT in collaborative learning, innovation and knowledge partnerships for sustainability.

Participants: for EURBANLAB include: Prof. Neil Hoose (Imperial College, UK) & Sévérine Maréchal (Research Student, UK), Prof. Martin O’Connor (REEDS/UVSQ) & Dr. Mateo Cordier (REEDS/UVSQ), Peter Bosch (TNO), Dr. Stainslav Shmelev (Reeds/UVSQ).

EURBANLAB is an international community, created in 2011, which gathers the expertise of members from different locations in Europe: London, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Berlin and Valencia. Currently it has twenty different partners, coming from private, public and academic sectors and they plan to expand it to 40 partners by 2015. The network is co-funded by climate-KIC (European Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community).

An Urban Living Lab is a user-centered, open innovation ecosystem operating in a territorial context, integrating concurrent research and innovation processes within a private-public-people partnership.

EURBANLAB’S mission: “To accelerate urban innovation by linking existing and new urban living labs and their associated stakeholders. It connects solution providers and end-users and enables them to share, learn and transfer concepts and technologies in order to accelerate the transition to low carbon resilient cities.”

How EURBANLAB does it by providing:

1. Learning and expert community – it facilitates cross-overs to stimulate innovation and new business models
2. Assessment of solutions – Objective assessment framework for evaluation and comparison of innovative solutions to enhance trust with investors and other decision makers.
3. Market place – here solution-providers can meet solution-seekers. Portfolio of innovative and transferable concepts and technologies and market and sales opportunities.

The talk was mainly concentrated on the second goal of EURBANLAB. During the presentation different members spoke about the unique methodology of evaluating innovations. Though, it is necessary to mention, that the work is still in process and the whole framework of methodology is not defined.

To put it simply, evaluation of innovative cases is composed of:

Stimulating factors for success + Impact measurements = Evaluation of innovation

Stimulating factors for success can be any of the following:

1. Project champion/charismatic leader
2. Clear, realistic and measurable objectives
3. Strong ambitions and long term vision
4. Effective monitoring and control etc
5. Research and testing
6. Continuity of key stakeholders
7. Strong stakeholder/client involvement/collaboration.
8. New innovative financial arrangements
9. Windows of opportunity
10. Socially acceptable
11. Supportive Market/Political environment

Impact measurements are derived from the prism of sustainability (economic, environmental and social dimensions). Top level and some examples of second level impacts are among the following:

·       People

o   Social cohesion

o   Health

o   Poverties

o   Aesthetic value

o   End-user satisfaction

·       Planet

o   Energy

o   Water

o   Waste

o   Mobility

o   Land use

·       Profit

o   Employment

o   Public finance

o   Economic renewable

o   Regional development

·       Potential diffusion/change

o   New structures and standards

o   Norms

o   Regulations

Sustainable assessment (SA) has qualitative and quantitative facets.  In order to permit an assessment that is transparent and robust across a full spectrum of issues and stakeholders, SA needs to be organized in a multi-layered way.

   - Building the problem: requires a TOP DOWN and BOTTOM UP dialogue between generic sustainability concepts and situation specific concerns to obtain a Sustainability-Quality Performance Multiple Bottom Line (SQPMBLs).

  - Making the Assessment: requires representative diversity of indicators who role is to signal the preoccupation of the full spectrum of stakeholders across the spectrum of performance issues.

Methodological Organisation of EURBANLAB:

Each innovation is evaluated for some criteria and every criteria has its indicators to measure. Methods and tools are applied to case studies and from this process indicators are generated.  Indicators can be generated from 3 different resources:

1. Innovation case study
2. EURBANLAB Parents
3. Analysis methods and tools.

Development of Indicators:

Process Indicators:

1. Connected to the project:

- Technological aspects (capabilities and acceptability)

- Innovative financial arrangement

2. Connected to the management:

- Lobbying (leadership)

- Continuity of stakeholders

3. Connected to the context

- Networks

- Political stability

- Public leadership from authorities.