Drazen Nikolic

A Living Lab is an environment in which researchers, developers and users cooperate with the common objective of delivering a tested product, solution or service in a shortest time possible. The cooperation of companies, government organizations, universities and other research institutions in an accelerated implementation of ICT-powered solutions is considered a big, broadly conceptualized NPD laboratory embedded in real life environment. In the Living Lab, problems of R&D are user driven and studied in a multidisciplinary way of concurrent engineering. A laboratory of this type is a working environment new to everyone involved. In the Living Lab innovative solutions and services are achieved that are not possible by any organization or group alone. Whole result is bigger than the sum of its parts. EU considers Living lab as one of the key tools for achieving the goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Author will present concept, methodology, tools and various advanced applications of the Living lab in business context using showcases.

Dražen Nikolić

Dražen is business psychologist passionate for open innovation intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship. Currently he is Director of Founder Institute Zagreb, partner in Bruketa & Žinić Lab, co-founder of Business Think Thank and two tech startups. In his role of Project Manager and Experience Architect, he is involved in open innovation projects in retail loyalty systems, communal energy efficiency, innovative urban reconstruction, smart city, corporate venturing and smart company 3.0. covering areas of new product & service development, digital marketing, lean business models, business strategy & planning, performance & risk management, investment & finance. Besides being speaker, panelist and moderator on conferences and public events in Croatia and abroad, he is also lecturer on Behavioral Economy at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of University in Zagreb. In his free time, Dražen is hot air balloon enthusiast.