Living Labs at CAPHRI: Sustainable Team Science for Impactful Knowledge Development

The seven Living Labs at CAPHRI are long-term, structural, and collaborative partnerships between Maastricht University and societal partners. These partners are diverse and include care organizations, general practices, rehabilitation centres, health care insurers, hospitals, municipalities, social care organizations, educational institutes and policy actors. Some Living Labs already exist nearly thirty years, where others have recently started. They are all embedded in real-world settings and focus on co-creation of knowledge that is both scientifically robust and directly relevant for practice. Rather than centring on individual projects, Living Labs function as durable infrastructures for ongoing collaboration, co-creation, learning and innovation. They are based in the various sectors within the health and social care, including long-term care, public health, primary care, rehabilitation and occupational health. 

Across these Living Labs, a shared model has emerged, characterised by three core components that distinguish Living Labs from more traditional forms of collaboration. Prof dr Hilde Verbeek, chair of the Living Lab in Ageing & Long-term Care and Prof dr Christian Hoebe, chair of the Living Lab Public Health Mosa explains these core components. 

Core Characteristic 1: Dual Appointments Bridging Science and Practice

A defining feature of the CAPHRI Living Labs is the use of joint appointments (duobanen). In all Living Labs, academics work partly within practice settings at scientific research or professionals from practice work at the university. Not to do a specific research project (e.g. PhD thesis) but to structurally build relationships, getting to know both worlds and create an infrastructure for scientific research. Examples include professors working at Public Health Services (GGD), or in rehabilitation centres or general practitioners and nurses working at the University. Verbeek explains: “In our Living Lab we have scientific linking pins, senior researchers (i.e. assistant or associate professors), who work for one or two days a week in a long-term care organization. They work in partnership with a practice-based linking pin, staff from the long-term care organization who work at the university for 1 day a week. These dual roles enable people to act as boundary spanners between science and practice and give researchers and practice professionals a better mutual understanding of our respective fields. This allows us to research questions that are closely aligned with real-world needs; to deliver translatable scientific insights and to carry out research projects grounded in everyday care.” Through these joint appointments, value is created for all parties involved. 

Core Characteristic 2: Beyond Project-Based Collaboration

“Living Labs explicitly move beyond project-based collaboration,” follows Hoebe. “While individual research projects are important, we believe they are embedded within a broader, long-term partnership. This continuity allows our partners to build trustful relationships, develop shared agendas and invest in joint capacity building of staff members.”

“By working together over longer periods, Living Labs facilitate cumulative learning,” adds Verbeek. Knowledge generated in one project informs subsequent initiatives, creating a coherent longstanding programme of research and innovation. “A clear example is the Living Lab’s research line on involuntary treatment in long-term care. What began as a practice-driven need for insight (how often do we actually use physical restraints on our residents?) evolved into the conceptual and empirical foundations of what later became nationally recognised as involuntary care, encompassing not only physical restraints but a broader range of practices that restrict autonomy.” Building on this foundation, the Living Lab in Ageing and Long-term Care developed a multifaceted intervention programme aimed at reducing involuntary treatment, both in nursing homes and in home care settings. Verbeek follows: “We are proud that this programme is officially recognised by Vilans, the Dutch Centre of Expertise for Long-Term Care, underscoring its evidence base, practical relevance and transferability.”

Core Characteristic 3: A Team Science Approach to Knowledge Development

Knowledge development in Living Labs follows a team science approach. Verbeek: “Scientific researchers, patients and their family members, healthcare professionals, educators, and other stakeholders all contribute from their expertise. Each perspective adds value: scientists contribute methodological rigour, while professionals provide contextual knowledge and experiential insights. This collective approach recognizes that impactful knowledge emerges from collaboration, dialogue and reflection across disciplines and professional boundaries.” Hoebe immediately recognizes the importance of collective knowledge development. “In the MICK study, we examined the declining vaccination coverage among schoolchildren in our region. Conversations with parents provided us with many insights into willingness to vaccinate in general, but also into the vaccination services that we provide through the GGD Zuid-Limburg.”

“It is important to recognize how living labs embody a paradigm shift in how research and innovation in health and care are conceived and practiced,” summarizes Hoebe. “Living Labs are not the latest methodological addition to traditional science — they are integral ecosystems where knowledge is co-produced with those it ultimately aims to serve.” This approach demonstrates how Living Labs enable the integration of experiential knowledge into scientifically grounded methods that support quality improvement in long-term care.

Although a Living Lab has a strong regional connection with partners in the region, there is also international impact. Furthermore, the Living Lab model is not context-bound, but transferable across health systems and countries. The Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term C is modelled in four comparable twin living labs have been established: in the UK (NICHE Leeds, 2018; North-West Coast Living Lab in Ageing and Dementia Liverpool, 2024), Germany (Prawidem Cologne and Halle, 2021) and Austria (Opinion Lab Graz, 2022). The four living labs collaborate in an international network. 

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The Living Lab in Ageing & Long-term Care developed the ZELF programme, an evidence-based training that supports care professionals in stimulating the self-reliance and autonomy of older adults. Building on research on reablement, the programme provides practical tools and training to help professionals encourage clients to remain active and independent in daily life. The programme is offered to care organizations through Zuyd Professional (Zuyd Hogeschool). 

The Living Lab Public Health Mosa has developed a toolbox for the prevention of respiratory infections in primary care. The toolbox provides professionals with practical guidance for implementing infection-prevention measures that can be scaled up or down depending on the level of infection pressure. Based on scientific evidence, professional guidelines, and interviews with healthcare professionals, it offers scenario-based care sheets, communication materials, and checklists to help practices protect both patients and staff.

The Living Lab on Work and Health has developed Healthy HR, an online program for employers that is complemented by consultancy from a researcher-consultant, working together with the workplace to achieve health improvements within companies.

The SiSPC model (Systemic Indicators for the Strength of Primary Care) is a standardized set of structural indicators developed with contribution from the Living Lab on Sustainable Care to describe and compare how primary care systems are organized across countries. It updates earlier frameworks by focusing on system structure, facility management and care delivery, and the broader context of primary care, enabling international research and cross‑country learning about primary care strength. More info.

The podcast “The Crucial Role of Work-Focused Care” focuses on a hospital-wide approach to integrating work into healthcare. Angelique de Rijk discusses how the Maastricht University Medical Center addresses patients’ work situations during medical consultations. Patients with complex issues can be referred to a specialized Work & Health clinic, where experts provide tailored support to help patients remain in or return to work. 

In the Skipr blog series titled “Beyond the Hype,” Daan Westra and Robin Peeters critically reflect on the growing emphasis on collaboration in the so-called network society. Referring to policy agendas such as IZA, GALA and WOZO, the series examines whether the strong focus on collaboration and networked approaches always leads to the intended improvements in healthcare practice.

De Limburger highlights the work of Veja Widdershoven (LLPH Mosa) on reversing declining vaccination rates in South Limburg. It describes how Hoebe investigates the reasons behind low vaccine uptake and engages with communities to better understand and address people’s concerns about immunization. The piece illustrates how academic research interacts with real‑world public health challenges and communicates findings to a broader regional audience.

The AWO-L Kletspodcast is hte offical podcast of the Living Lab Ageing & Long-Term Care, where researchers and practicioners talk about the people, projects, and ideas behind their work in long-term care.