Čeština
About the project.
LIVERUR is one of the research and development projects funded by the European Horizon 2020 programme and aims to analyse the business models of Living Labs in rural Europe. The project involves 23 partners from 13 countries, among them two Czech organisations - pošumavská Úhlava o.p.s and the research association Wirellessinfo. The Liverur project focuses on innovative business models currently being developed in rural areas. The project includes socio-economic analyses to identify, describe and compare the differences between the new Living Labs approach and traditional approaches to entrepreneurship.
What are Living Labs?
In general, Living Labs are research methodologies for different experimental solutions with an emphasis on the impact of real-life conditions, practical real-life requirements, stakeholder involvement and knowledge sharing. Living Labs are neither limited by organisational form nor by scope, focus or number of participants or duration.
Each Living Lab can be completely different - the essential characteristic elements are :
- the involvement of stakeholders, especially end users, and their collaboration with each other
- the use of experimental approaches
- reflecting practical requirements and real-life conditions
- creation and sharing of knowledge and learning
Living Lab Pošumaví.
Úhlava o.p.s. identified the support of local farmers and other producers of agricultural products, tourism and other local activities as one of the most needed things in the Pošumaví region. One of the ways to contribute to addressing these needs was the establishment of the local Living Lab Pošumaví.
One of the main objectives of the newly established Living Lab is to support small entrepreneurs in the region - farmers, craftsmen, tourism entrepreneurs, etc. For this purpose, a new technological platform in the form of an internet portal called Regional Specialties has been launched, which will integrate both information support for regional producers and end customers and a business model for sales.
The leading partners of the new Living Lab include Úhlava o.p.s., which is responsible for the organisation of the Living Lab and the management of regional information, Wirelessinfo, which is developing the Regional Specialities portal and providing the necessary digital technologies, and Šumavaprodukt s.r.o., which is providing technical support for sales. Other partners of the Living Lab are individual producers of regional products, public bodies and others for whom the development of rural areas is important.
The symbiosis between Living Lab Pošumaví and the LIVERUR project.
The region of Pošumaví was selected as one of the pilot regions for the LIVERUR project. The project will analyse the business model of Living Lab Pošumaví according to the project methodology and compare it with the usual ways of selling regional products. Living Lab Pošumaví will thus serve as a test sample for the project and at the same time can use the resulting analysis of the project as feedback for its further activities and development.
Future plans.
Living Lab Pošumaví has set as one of its important tasks the introduction of a digital platform to support the retail sale of regional products. The first step is to offer the products of local small companies to consumers in the region, including home delivery. Other goals are also important, which logically emerge by connecting the various partners in our "living laboratory". The digital platform will gradually add, expand and update information about individual suppliers, both farms and smaller food companies, and eventually also local small crafts. At the same time, information on tourist attractions in Šumava and Pošumava will be gradually added. If you would like to learn more about the LIVERUR project, a lot of additional information is available at www.liverur.eu, www.uhlava.cz or, of course, when you visit Southwest Bohemia.