The European cities involved
Romania
Bucharest Living Lab
The Bucharest Living Lab is funded by the UEFiscdi Agency and under the management of the University of Bucharest. The Living Lab in Bucharest will not be situated in an urban setting, but rather, it will be a collaboration of local peri-urban farms. The primary goals are to restructure the existing farms in peri-urban regions and to cultivate best practices for the sustainable development of resilient and inclusive urban food systems. In practical terms, various farmers will receive support to transform their current management and organization to become more circular (for example, through composting and waste re-use within the Living Lab), more efficient (by sharing best practices), and more inclusive (both in terms of connecting to urban markets and incorporating vulnerable individuals into the workforce).
To achieve this, the Living Lab will collaborate with the farmers to develop an action plan for the growth of agricultural areas. The goal is to reach and incorporate vulnerable communities and delivering fresh and processed products to urban consumers.
Cyprus
Strovolos Living Lab
The Strovolos Living Lab is funded by the Research and Innovation Foundation. The management of this initiative is a collaborative effort between VL Sustainability Metrics, Strovolos Municipality, and the KES Research Centre. Established in 1986, Strovolos is the second largest Municipality in Cyprus.
The Lab is located in the Acropolis Park in a semi-arid urban environment. The facilities include a greenhouse, raised beds and planter boxes, and a shade net house, a shaded area for meetings, presentations, and rest. All these are part of our commitment to creating a sustainable and productive environment. The target group is low-income families, elderly, mentally or physically challenged and migrants (MENA region; Syria).
The Lab is committed to organic agriculture and is in the process of obtaining organic certification.
The Lab has a yearly plan for plant growth, which includes more than 30 options. In addition to food crops, we also plan to grow ornamental plants, adding beauty to productivity.
Poland
Gdansk Living Lab
The Gdansk Living Lab in Poland is a collaborative initiative funded by Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju w Warszawie and managed by Fundacja Twoja Rola, Aquablend Polska, and the University of Agriculture in Krakow. We are located in the Sitowie Gardens Manufactor area in Gdansk.
The lab is actively working with war refugees from Ukraine and socially excluded individuals, fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment.
Our foundation team is working on cultivation planning and preparing a sowing schedule for the upcoming spring season.
We are conducting a comprehensive inventory of our garden and preparing an efficient irrigation system for both tunnel and ground crops.
In the 2024 season, we have sown garlic for the purpose of research and development work on garlic extract.
We are preparing our kitchen for the processing line and have reported our new and professional kitchen to the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, obtaining formal consent. Our team is engaged in the research and development of a technological process for the production of black garlic and kombucha. We are also conducting trial fermentations of black garlic in a new machine on a larger scale. We are developing a technological process for the extraction and production of a garlic and herbal extract. This includes researching suppliers of the machinery needed for the extraction process, internal handling, and packaging.
Our team is analysing the level of active components in extraction results, the shelf life of extraction products, and the effectiveness of the extraction results on gut health through animal tests. Our goal is to ensure the highest quality of our products.
Greece
Drama Living Lab
The Drama Living Lab is a collaborative initiative funded by General Secretariat for Research and Innovation and managed by the Democritus University of Thracia and Geri Lab, with the support of the Ladies Union of Drama.
We encourage citizens to engage in urban gardening and implement effective waste management practices for the gardening areas. Our aim is to foster a sustainable and eco-friendly community.
The efforts are particularly focused on vulnerable groups in Drama, including women, dropped-out youth, and migrants. Our initiative brings fresh produce to the community, offering an opportunity for citizens to connect with nature. The Living Lab aims to revive the gardens, transforming them into vibrant, productive spaces.
We provide knowledge transfer and training to equip our community with the skills needed for successful urban gardening.
Our team works to improve production methods and crop choices. We experiment with various techniques such as watering, mulching, and composting organic waste to enhance productivity.
