Beyond the Drawing Board: The Rise of DIAMOND Grassroot Living Labs
At DIAMOND Empower, we have always maintained that the best solutions are built with the community. Today, we are proud to share a major project milestone: the official establishment and infrastructure rollout of our Grassroot Living Labs (GLL).
For those following our journey, this represents a significant shift from theoretical research to real-world application. We are no longer just planning.
What is a Grassroot Living Lab?
A Grassroot Living Lab is a “Community Innovation Hub.” Instead of a traditional office or research center, these labs are safe, accessible spaces where job seekers, researchers, and employers work side-by-side.
Grounded in Science: Our methodology isn’t just an experiment; it’s part of a verified European innovation ecosystem. We are following a framework used by around 160 active Living Labs across Europe, certified by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). This ensures that every tool we build is scientifically grounded and socially relevant.
A Network of 6 Strategic Partners
To ensure our tools reach those who need them most, we have established a coordinated support structure across Europe. This network links our lead researchers at the University of Burgos (UBU) with six specialized grassroots organizations, including Proportional Message Associacao (Portugal), EMIT Feltrinelli (Italy), Deinde Spolka Z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnoscia and Fundacja Obiektywna (Poland), Youth Power Germany EV (Germany), and Fundación Miradas (Spain).
By utilizing these “real-life settings,” we can test our AI-driven tools, like the MOVEᴱ platform, with a diverse user community, including:
- Young people and qualified migrants.
- Individuals with disabilities and those from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds.
- Experts from universities, public administration, and local businesses.
The Path to Results: Our 3-Phase Journey
How do we turn co-creation into employment? We follow a rigorous, three-step process:
- Envisioning: We identify future skill needs and build initial prototypes based on real-world requirements.
- Engagement: We are currently launching social innovation experiments and plan to involve around 300 participants. 200 participants wil test our training recommendations with AI models and provide the feedback necessary to ensure our AI is truly helpful and empathetic. 100 will go through conventional procedures to achieve micro-credentials.
- Employment: Finally, we roll out the full system, including AI-supported career paths and micro-credentials, to help participants transition smoothly into the labor market.
What’s Next?
The infrastructure is ready, our facilitators are trained, and the selection of participants for our first “Social Innovation Experiments” is underway.
We are proving that when we design tools with people, we create an inclusive labor market where no one is left behind.
Stay tuned as we begin to share the first stories of co-creation and results from our labs across Europe!
Funding Agency: European Research Executive Agency (REA)
