Lab Connections - policy labs in Europe, for Europe

Europe is now witnessing a growing movement of policy labs and other public innovation teams at EU, national, regional and local levels of governance. Their experimental, creative and citizen-centred approaches are changing the ways policies are shaped and delivered, putting forward alternative solutions in a time when our institutions require more robust and adaptable responses to complex situations.

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and its EU Policy Lab would like to invite you to LAB CONNECTIONS, the first-ever gathering of policy labs in Brussels, where, together, we will:

• Explore how EU policy challenges can be tackled through the expertise of policy labs;
• Engage in networking between policy lab practitioners and European Commission services;
• Identify shared areas of interest and practice between all participants, to design joint activities at EU level.

Five policy areas will serve as initial ground for participants to connect with their own ongoing or potential projects:

• Territories and sustainability
• Knowledge, skills and culture
• Inclusion and welfare
• Governance and democracy
• Economy, innovation and employment

LAB CONNECTIONS will take place in Berlaymont, at the headquarters of the European Commission, on 17-18 October 2016, in the presence of Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva and Commissioner Tibor Navracsics (tbc).

We will host exhibition spaces for policy labs, plenary sessions, workshops, and a social programme, with the participation of labs and other public innovation teams, EU institutions, and national, regional and local public authorities across Europe.

Join us!

Registration for LAB CONNECTIONS is NOW OPEN.