The role of Fab Labs and Living Labs for economic development of regional Australia

Abstract

In Australia, demographer Bernard Salt (2016) coined the term “e-change” to describe a new social movement of people moving from metropolitan to regional cities seeking better lifestyles, more happiness closer to nature, and decreased living costs. This suggests that the new urban crisis in metropolitan areas may in turn cause a revival of regional areas that comes with new economic and socio-cultural opportunities. Fabrication laboratories (Fab Labs), makerspaces, living labs, and open innovation 2.0 are terms used to describe parts of the open innovation ecosystem that aims to involve more people in creativity and innovation. For instance, Fab Labs give lay people access to digital fabrication tools such as 3D printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters, which process a wide range of materials to “make (almost) anything” in the Fab Labs (Gershenfeld 2005). They seek to provide individuals with opportunities to be creative, invent, and innovate smart designs for themselves, hence, offer them an informal platform to find, practice, and follow their personal desires and interests alongside their peers. Besides the technical affordances of Fab Labs, they also carry social qualities and implications. Fab Labs aim to welcome innovative people who want to shape the knowledge economy within a safe environment for learning from and with peers and mentors. This chapter discusses the role of Fab Labs and Living Labs in regional Australia for providing opportunities for creativity and innovation. It analyses rich insights gained from critically evaluating specific innovation hubs and Living Labs in three regional locations (iNQ in Townsville; The Old Ambulance Station in Nambour; and Substation33 in Logan) through a triad analytical lens of people, place, and technology. These labs as innovation ‘skunkworks’ have implications for changing and reforming regional economic development policies insofar as they broaden assumptions of what traditionally counts as entrepreneurial and how incubation spaces should function.

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