Collaborative Innovation Living Lab (CILL)

An ENoLL accredited centre for real-world testing and evaluation

The Collaborative Innovation Living Lab helps organisations, communities and researchers work through complex, real world problems by testing ideas in practical settings before large scale investment or implementation.

As a Living Lab we provide a supported environment where partners can explore challenges, develop ideas, test them with the people affected, and understand what works, what doesn’t, and why.

The Collaborative Innovation Living Lab is part of the Faculty of Health, Innovation, Technology and Science and works across health, care, technology and wider civic and public service contexts.

Living Lab

A Living Lab is a way of working rather than a physical space. It brings together people who experience a problem, those who deliver or commission services, and those who design solutions. The Lab supports partners at different stages of innovation and change. This includes helping organisations clarify a challenge, shape an idea, test early concepts, or evaluate something already in use.

The Centre works with:

• researchers
• public sector bodies
• NHS organisations
• local authorities
• community and voluntary organisations
• SMEs
• academic teams

The Collaborative Innovation Living Lab is accredited through the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), confirming alignment with internationally recognised Living Lab principles.

How the Living Lab can help

Support can be exploratory or linked to funded programmes, depending on need. The Living Lab approach supports innovation that is informed by lived experience, grounded in context, and responsive to complexity.

Typical support includes:

• working with stakeholders and service users to understand needs and priorities
• turning complex problems into clear, testable questions
• supporting co design and early stage idea development
• testing ideas, tools or approaches in real world settings
• evaluating services, interventions or innovations to inform decisions
• generating practical learning to support improvement, scale or investment