Abstract:
Living labs are instrumental in advancing entrepreneurship by offering real-world settings for
innovation and skills development. This study explores how various dynamics within living
labs impact students' entrepreneurial passion and creativity. Conducted with the first cohort of
participants enrolled in the Environmental Entrepreneurship course at UNILAK, the research
employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis
identified that the living lab provided a conducive environment for experiential learning,
problem-based learning, collaborative efforts, guidance and mentorship, and pre-incubation
experiences. In turn, students demonstrated increased enthusiasm and creativity, evidenced by
enhanced motivation, engagement, risk-taking, creative processes, and development of soft
skills. This was also exemplified through qualitative findings from presentations by students
who managed to showcase different prototypes as practical solutions to environmental
problems. A significant positive correlation was found between living lab dynamics and these
outcomes, with a correlation coefficient of 0.882, indicating that improvements in the lab's
dynamics are closely linked to greater student passion and creativity. To leverage these findings,
it is recommended that educational administrators integrate living labs with university
incubators. This integration will support students by providing additional resources, business
development training' and intellectual property protection, thus facilitating a smoother
transition from innovation to market-ready solutions and bridging the gap between creativity
and commercialization
