There is a growing movement of policy labs and other public sector innovation teams in Europe. Their experimental, creative and citizen-centred approaches are changing the ways policies are shaped and delivered, putting forward alternative solutions more in tune with citizens' needs and better adapted to public budget constraints.
To bridge the gap between policy labs, EU policy makers, and public authorities from the Member States, the EU Policy Lab of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre is organising LAB CONNECTIONS, a gathering of policy labs from across Europe.
Lab Connections will provide a space for policy labs, public authorities and EU policymakers to:
- Share experiences between labs and lab owners on how to set up and run labs, how to ensure and demonstrate an impact on public policies and public service delivery;
- Explore with peers the relevance of local, regional and national projects and how to tap into each other's experiences;
- Co-design concrete joint actions relevant to particular EU policy challenges that could receive support from the EU.
Lab Connections will take place in the headquarters of the European Commission, on 17-18th October 2016, with the presence of Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva and Commissioner Tibor Navracsics (tbc). Policy labs will have the opportunity to meet EU policy makers to learn about relevant EU initiatives and opportunities with the objective to co-design concrete action plans.
In addition to the workshop sessions there will be an exhibition space Showcase projects and tools in an open exhibition at the core of the EU institutions.
