Collaborations
Inventing together
Campus as a Living Lab is a framework that enables researchers, students, operations staff and external partners to collaborate on projects that address our most urgent sustainability challenges. Generally, living labs provide a collaborative approach to the development of innovations, applied in a real-world setting. The participants in each living lab project all have a vested interest in the outcome, or benefit from it in others ways.
Collaborators are considered equal partners, have a voice in decision-making, contribute to the development and implementation of solutions, and make use of the outcomes of the project. The specific structure of the collaborations and roles of the participants is determined within the context and based on the needs of a specific project.
Our values
Our work is guided by a set of core values, in addition to the values laid out in UBC’s Strategic Plan, Shaping the Next Century.
1. Sustainability
We support and develop projects that contribute to ecological, social and economic sustainability, address the climate and biodiversity crises, and are aligned with the long-term strategic vision for the UBC campus and its community.
2. Equity and Inclusion
We embed justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in all our projects and in our engagement with UBC community members and external partners.
3. Transparency
We build collaborations and partnerships through clear and open processes, and ensuring fair, ethical, consensual and transparent engagement.
4. Collaborative Learning
We embrace participatory and reciprocal ways of learning and sharing knowledge, reflective of the different communities, knowledge systems and experiences of those engaged in our projects.
At UBC, there are multiple research centres and operational units involved in a diverse range of Campus as a Living Lab projects. Browse our list of UBC partners to explore potential collaborators for your next project.
UBC Wellbeing
UBC Wellbeing is a university-wide initiative to promote health and wellbeing in the university community. The systems and settings framework approach consider all aspects of people's lives, such as where they live, learn, work, and play. The initiative involves collaboration between different units within the university, with an advisory committee and priority area action committees on mental health, physical activity, food, and nutrition guiding collective action.
The UBC Wellbeing strategic framework and the Okanagan charter for health promote universities and colleges and provide the initiative's guiding principles and calls to action. UBC Wellbeing aims to promote human and ecological wellbeing and be an agent of change in society by bringing the knowledge and skills learned on campus off campus.
Related Projects
Mind In Motion: Developing an exercise referral pathway for students seeking help for depression.
Mind In Motion: Developing an exercise referral pathway for students seeking help for depression.
Indigenous Campus Living Laboratory at xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden
Indigenous Campus Living Laboratory at xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden
Get to know some of the people behind living lab projects at UBC, and learn more about how they are using the campus as a test-bed for sustainability.
