Exploring the Dynamics of Living Labs in Igniting Students' Passion and Creativity in Entrepreneurship

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