Austrian Mobility Labs build on ideas and methods associated with the concepts of “”living labs”” and “”real-world laboratories””. Both living labs and real-world laboratories came into being because in the past, numerous promising solutions – not only in the field of mobility – were developed, but in too many cases disappeared into drawers. Thus, many innovations never met people and their actual needs. Accordingly, Austrian Mobility Labs support research & development to maximize their potential in a real-world setting. How is this done? With science and practice working together at eye level. Sometimes just brainstorming. Sometimes, people with different backgrounds improve innovations together and finally test if their solution can pass the practical test in everyday situations. At its core, they are a platform for people to work together to let a more sustainable, affordable and inclusive transport mobility system become a reality.
Bringing together people from different backgrounds – from technology developers and urban planners to residents of a city – requires serious preparation. It takes time and resources to establish a common ground so people can work on a shared target. The key services of Austrian Mobility Labs are:
They provide a cooperative setting that enables exchange between different actors.
They provide a dedicated research infrastructure to develop the mobility of the future.
They are test environments, in which piloting and optimization can take place under real- world conditions.
They bring innovations in contact with future users and decision-makers.