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From 9 to 11 June, TTK University of Applied Sciences hosted a meeting of the international ARTEMIS higher education cooperation network, focusing on the development of living labs and travelling universities, as well as societal engagement in shaping regional transformation. The meeting provided an opportunity to share experiences and discuss the next steps in strengthening Europe-wide cooperation.
The three-day international conference focused particularly on societal engagement and participation in shaping regional change. Partners presented mobility-related challenges identified in their regions and the living labs that have emerged from them, where solutions are tested in real-life environments in collaboration with citizens and project partners. Experiences were also shared on travelling university initiatives, which aim to bring universities closer to rural communities.
According to Paula Veske-Lepp, visiting professor at TTK UAS and co-lead of Work Package 6 within ARTEMIS, the two living labs developed under the leadership of TTK mobility research project manager Rõõt Laigu are strong examples of concrete and measurable initiatives. One of them is a bicycle safety education programme involving children, teachers, and parents.
“The programme helps create an evidence-based model through tests conducted in real traffic environments with experimental and control groups, which can later be applied more broadly across Estonia,” explained Veske-Lepp.
The second TTK living lab initiative is being carried out in cooperation with Rae Municipality, where parking and speed data are being collected in the Peetri area. By engaging local residents, the project seeks data-driven solutions to mobility challenges in this rapidly growing suburban area.
Veske-Lepp also highlighted the living lab of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) as a strong example. The lab combines research, education, and social impact, bringing together the local community, civil society, the university, local government, and businesses. Its goal is to transform one district of Bergen into a youth-oriented 15-minute neighbourhood. “In the practical work, older residents, children aged 9–12, and experts were involved – more than 45 participants in total. Through community lunches and after-school programmes, participants mapped the strengths, sense of safety, and areas for improvement in their neighbourhood,” she described.
In addition to the presentations, participants explored cooperation opportunities between the alliance’s different working groups and agreed on the next steps in developing a Europe-wide living lab network. “Until now, each partner has developed their living lab projects separately, but the presentations quickly made it clear that although our work differs significantly from country to country, we also have a lot in common. Going forward, we want to move towards closer and more coordinated cooperation to share lessons learned, methods, and build a strong and unified network,” Veske-Lepp added.
The meeting brought together representatives from all eight partner universities, with a total of 60 participants.
ARTEMIS is a pan-European higher education cooperation network that promotes educational and development collaboration. Together with international companies and institutions, it advances teaching, student and staff mobility, research and development cooperation, as well as innovation and sustainability-related activities.
The partner network includes TTK University of Applied Sciences, Université Clermont Auvergne and Clermont Auvergne Innovation House (France), OTH Regensburg (Germany), VIVES University of Applied Sciences (Belgium), University of Ioannina (Greece), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Ovidius University of Constanța (Romania), and the University of Perugia (Italy).
The project is co-funded by the European Union.
See a photo gallery HERE (photographer Andres Mets).
