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Living labs as entrepreneurial ecosystem architectures evidence from Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Living Labs are increasingly used in European research and innovation programmes as collaborative environments for experimentation and stakeholder participation. While prior research has examined their participatory and governance features, less is known about their structural role in configuring entrepreneurial ecosystems. This paper examines whether EU-funded Living Lab consortia operate as deliberately designed ecosystem architectures and whether the transition from Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe is associated with changes in actor diversity, firm and SME embeddedness, and formal coordination. Drawing on CORDIS metadata for 350 projects explicitly labelled as Living Labs, the study constructs project-level indicators of actor diversity, entrepreneurial embeddedness, private-sector coordination, and geographic scope. The observed Horizon Europe sample contains more Living-Lab-labelled projects than Horizon 2020, although Horizon Europe is ongoing and the count should be interpreted as observed-to-date label use rather than final programme expansion. Descriptively, Horizon Europe projects show higher actor diversity, wider geographic breadth, lower firm share, and lower private-sector coordination. In regression models, the actor-diversity difference is positive but marginal, the adjusted firm-share difference is not statistically distinguishable from zero, and the decline in private-sector coordination remains significant. Because private-sector coordination is a proxy for formal entrepreneurial orchestration rather than a direct measure of entrepreneurial influence, the evidence is associational and should be interpreted cautiously. The paper contributes to entrepreneurship and innovation management research by suggesting that policy-designed ecosystems may face a governance tension between ecosystem inclusiveness and formal entrepreneurial agency.

Source: International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal

DOI: 10.1007/s11365-026-01258-x

Authors: Giusy Sica, Chiara Spiniello, Maria Palazzo, Alessandra Micozzi, Giovanna Lusini

Institutions: Mercatorum University, European Southern Observatory, University of Naples Federico II

Language: English

Topic: Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development

Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,190