What is a LABIX?
A Local Laboratory of Civic Innovation (#LABIX) is a place to experiment, collaborate and accelerate innovative projects that arise from citizens to generate social, cultural, and economic transformations in their cities and local communities.
The #LABIX bases its methodology on the LABIC developed by SEGIB, which has been carried out from 2014 in different Ibero-American countries (Mexico, Brasil, Costa Rica, Argentina, Colombia) and it was selected by the European Commission as one of the greatest innovations in development cooperation at a global level.
The LABIX has a local scope of application (city) and it has begun to develop in some cities of Ibero-America: Cartagena de Indias and Santo Domingo.
¿How is a LABIX? It begins with the international call for projects focused on a specific theme. Between 6 and 8 projects are selected and a second call is opened to people from that same city who want to collaborate in its development, from which 6 are selected. From there, multidisciplinary teams are formed, which meet for 10 days to carry out intensive work on prototyping solutions with the support of a mentoring team.
What begins as an idea (or an initial project) becomes what we call a “prototype”. Prototypes are a first version of the project which allow us to test the object, the methodology or the platform in which we are working before starting the production or definitive execution stage. This helps us to detect errors and deficiencies early and to be able to improve them to achieve the goals of the project.
At LABIC, unlike other spaces, work is guided by experimentation, creativity, collaboration and fieldwork together with communities of interest for each project. It is not a competition.
If you would like a #LABIX to be organized in your city and you belong to a public or private institution interested in implementing 21st Century citizen processes, you can mail us at info@innovacionciudadana.com telling us your interest.
Meet the LABIX
LABIXDO, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 2022.
Subject: Urban Sustainability for a more innovative city.
First Civic Innovation Laboratory developed in the Dominican Republic.
Partners: Administrative Ministry of the Presidency, AECID, European Commission, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Youth, Estrategia Supérate, City Council of Distrito Nacional.
Info: 6 projects, 42 citizens of Santo Domingo.
OPEN CALL: HERE
LABIXCartagena, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, 2021.
Subject: Cultural Innovation in the post-covid era.
First Local Citizen Innovation Laboratory with LABIX methodology.
Partners: Institute of Heritage and Culture of Cartagena de Indias, AECID, European Commission and the Ministry of Culture of Colombia.
Info: 7 projects, 45 citizens of Cartagena.
This was LABIXCartagena: video.
Meet the projects: here (soon)