Quadruple Helix Stakeholders Format / Living Labs

Case Study of the Second Impronta Granada Meeting and Poniente Workshop

Description

The Quadruple Helix (QH) model fosters collaboration between four key stakeholders: academia, government, industry, and civil society. The Living Lab methodology allows these groups to cocreate solutions in real-world settings.

UGR County Councils refers to the initiative led by the University of Granada (UGR) under the Erasmus+ ENGAGEgreen project, aiming to foster collaboration between academic researchers, local governments, and community stakeholders. This initiative focuses on addressing regional challenges through cocreated, research-driven solutions. The Second Impronta Granada Meeting is the third pilot event organized by UGR as part of this project, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and local communities to discuss and develop strategies for sustainable development in rural and urban areas

The Poniente Workshop, part of the Second Impronta Granada meeting, serves as a case study of how these two frameworks work together to address regional challenges in the Poniente Granadino region. The event brought together policymakers, academics, local businesses, and citizens working together to identify shared needs, propose solutions, and codesign initiatives for the region’s sustainable development.

In the run-up to the workshop, two online meetings with the UGR County Councils from the Poniente region and other areas were held to identify the key themes that would be presented at the meeting. These discussions helped shape the agenda and guided the workshop’s focus on sustainable development, regional identity, and regional collaboration.

Summary: Key features in a nutshell

• Stakeholders involved: University of Granada (UGR), local governments (Diputación de Granada, municipalities), local businesses, civil society organizations, and citizens
• Objective: To identify common challenges and to cocreate actionable solutions for regional problems related to depopulation, local heritage, tourism, and economic development
• Format: An interactive workshop, with cocreation activities, and panel discussions, building on findings from two preparatory online meetings
• Outcome: Development of practical initiatives such as intergenerational housing, tourism revitalization, integration of local knowledge, and cultural heritage preservation

How does the format work?

The Poniente Workshop followed the Quadruple Helix (QH) model, with active participation from governmental actors, academia, local businesses, and civil society

1. Government: Local councils and the Diputación de Granada provided policy frameworks, funding, and regional development goals.
2. Academia: Experts from the University of Granada (UGR) shared research findings on cultural heritage, socioeconomic development, and sustainable tourism.
3. Civil Society: Organizations like Tierra de Aguas and local communities represented the needs of the population and their vision for the future of the Poniente region.
4. Local Businesses: Entrepreneurs discussed how to connect local products and services to sustainable tourism models and the economic revitalization of the area.

Challenges

• Coordination Complexity: Despite efforts, coordination between stakeholders remains a challenge due to the complexity of local governance structures, funding dynamics, and the differing goals of each actor
• Sustainability: The main challenge lies in maintaining long-term commitment to initiatives as most projects are funded on a short-term basis and lack a continuous funding strategy
• Stakeholder Engagement: The need to engage local businesses and the broader community remains difficult, especially in marginalized areas or regions where public participation is low

Tasks and resources

Scientists

• Tasks
  • Contributing research insights on socioeconomic development, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism; providing evidence for policymaking
• Required resources
  • Time for fieldwork and data collection
  • Collaboration with local governments to align research with practical solutions
  • Support for disseminating research findings to local stakeholders

Knowledge exchange managers and research managers

• Tasks
  • Organizing stakeholder meetings
  • Disseminating research findings
  • Ensuring communication between academia, government, and civil society
• Required resources
  • Digital platforms (e.g., webinars, forums) to facilitate communication
  • Organizational resources for managing the events and sustaining long-term initiatives

Policymakers

• Tasks
  • Defining regional policy frameworks
  • Providing financial support for local initiatives
  • Ensuring alignment with local and EU development goals
• Required resources
  • Policy expertise and administrative capacity for effective project management
  • Financial support and allocation of resources to ongoing initiatives
  • Time to participate in meetings, workshops, and planning sessions

Examples

1. Living Lab Example:The Poniente Workshop served as a Living Lab where stakeholders codesigned solutions for regional development; projects such as intergenerational housing models and sustainable tourism programs were suggested based on real-world challenges presented during the workshop
2. Research-based example

• Research conducted by the University of Granada (UGR) on cultural heritage preservation informed the creation of strategies for preserving the region’s history while simultaneously boosting local economies
• Academic contributions, such as sociodemographic studies on depopulation, provided the foundation for formulating strategies that directly addressed the region’s challenges.

Sources and further reading

Official coverage of the Second Impronta Granada meeting – University and Territory event: https://improntagranada.es/impronta/ii-impronta-granada-meeting-strengthens-the-university-territory-alliance-in-loja/

Case Study Details

How is the Format Conducted?

• The Poniente Workshop followed a structured format of an interactive session with micropresentations, group work, and panel discussions; prior to the event, two preparatory online meetings helped define key themes, such as sustainable tourism, youth retention, and economic revitalization, which were then discussed in greater depth during the event

Available Resources (Main Tasks)

• Coordination between local councils, researchers, and civil society is key to ensuring sustainability and relevance of the projects
• Research dissemination through the University of Granada (UGR) to share key findings with all stakeholders and design solutions that align with regional needs

What works? What doesn’t? (Lessons learnt)

• What works: The QH model of collaboration was effective in fostering dialogue and co-creation among diverse stakeholders; bringing together a variety of stakeholders with shared interests can lead to effective co-creation of solutions. The Living Lab approach allows for real-time feedback
• What doesn’t work: Coordination remains a challenge, and stakeholder engagement continues to be difficult, especially with local businesses and marginalized groups; besides, ensuring sustainability and long-term engagement from stakeholders is challenging, particularly when there are limited resources

How are the activities evaluated?

• Evaluating the success of the Living Lab requires monitoring stakeholder engagement and the implementation of solutions post-workshop
• Feedback will be gathered through surveys and follow-up workshops to assess the long-term impact of the initiatives launched

Do you want to know more about the policy engagement toolkit?

Do you want to share your experience in policy engagement? Do you think about contributing to the policy engagement toolkit? Feel free to contact Tome Sandevski via science-policy@uni-frankfurt.de