Col-laboratories: Designing universal innovation ecosystems for an era of transitions

This paper discusses the development of the Col.laboratori programme in Catalonia as a model for testing the theory of universal innovation ecosystems. This programme aims to address the challenges faced by societies in the current era of transitions by combining theories of techno anthropology, social innovation, and living labs.

The authors propose collaboratories as crucial social innovations that can facilitate the absorption of changes and promote creative construction. These collaboratories are considered meta socio-digital innovation mechanisms that establish quadruple helix collaborative structures, bridging different actors, types of innovations, and diverse worldviews.

To achieve a Just Triple Transition (social, green and digital), the paper suggests bringing together actors from business, academia, government, and society in collaborative processes that generate short-term optimal results and long-term synergies. This approach involves including society as the end-user in common tasks to ensure better design and higher-value outcomes. The paper advocates for a democratization of the innovation ecosystems, aiming for a broader distribution of social benefits through negotiated approaches focused on solving common challenges in pursuit of the common good.