Living Peace Lab

The EUPeace Living Peace Lab is designed as an open innovation ecosystem where universities, civil society, the private sector, government, and citizens meet to co-create and test solutions that contribute to peace, justice, and inclusive societies. Far from treating participants as passive “testers”, the Lab positions them as active contributors throughout the analysis, development, and implementation process. This approach ensures that all ideas are rooted in practical utility, generate social value, and encourage innovation that addresses real-world challenges.

At its core, the Living Peace Lab is a space for creative learning and collective action. Participants not only benefit from the ecosystem but also enrich it through their contributions, resulting in innovative approaches to common problems. By mobilising the intellectual and physical resources of the EUPeace universities, the Lab is able to support initiatives that cut across disciplines and sectors. While its main focus is on peace, justice, and inclusion, the Lab welcomes initiatives in related fields such as environmental sustainability, technological innovation, or cultural development. This openness makes it a truly transversal platform for inclusive exploration.

The Lab actively invites individuals and groups from all backgrounds to contribute their ideas, bridging academic research with societal needs. Whether addressing global challenges or local issues, the Living Peace Lab ensures that the knowledge and capacities of universities directly serve communities. It provides opportunities for students, researchers, practitioners, and citizens to engage in projects with tangible impact, reinforcing the Alliance’s mission of combining academic excellence with social responsibility.

A key enabler of this work is the EUPeace Societal Dialogue Group, which provides the structured forum needed to ensure broad participation and inclusiveness. Comprised of representatives both inside and outside the Alliance, the group develops Dialogue Bridge Formats—innovative tools to stimulate exchange among stakeholders and guarantee that the voices of diverse communities inform the work of the Living Peace Lab. Local Dialogue Groups act as advisory boards for their respective sites, and selected members join the pan-European group, linking local expertise with the Alliance-wide perspective.

Through this architecture, the EUPeace Living Peace Lab becomes more than a laboratory—it is a dynamic meeting ground for dialogue, experimentation, and transformation. It harnesses diversity as a driver for creativity and sustainability, and ensures that projects are shaped not only by academic expertise but also by the lived experiences of citizens. In doing so, the Lab exemplifies EUPeace’s ambition to build bridges between education, research, and society, creating conditions where peace and justice can flourish.