LSE Living Lab: The Future of Food

A Living Lab is a collaborative research approach where innovative sustainability solutions are developed and tested in the real world.

Real-World Research:

The purpose of a Living Lab is to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact by developing research-backed solutions to our biggest sustainability challenges that are proven to work in context.

The Living Lab approach is different because projects are conducted in real-world settings, with ever-changing conditions.

The Living Lab approach encourages participants to adapt their project during the testing phase to respond to the complex and changeable nature of the testing environment. This approach ensures new sustainability solutions work in theory and practise.

Collaborative Problem Solving:

Living Labs are collaborative research projects that bring together diverse stakeholders at all levels. Stakeholders often include, students, community members, researchers, academics, businesses, local councils and public organisations.

This collaborative approach ensures Living Lab projects prioritise and respond to the needs of the local community or environment.

Campus as a Living Lab:

Universities are uniquely positioned to pilot Living Lab projects because of their direct access to infrastructure, knowledge, data, and people.

The Campus as a Living Lab approach leverages universities resources to test new sustainability solutions on campus. Results from campus based Living Lab projects generate insights that can help inform the universities sustainability policies, strategies and systems.

Campus based Living Lab research can also be used to inform change at local, national and international levels.

Food is fundamental part of our daily lives. It impacts our health, communities, environment and economies.

This is why The Future of Food has been chosen as the theme for the inaugural LSE Living Lab. Launching in May 2026, the LSE Living Lab provides a platform for LSE staff and students to run research and community engagement projects that support the Living Lab's mission to build future-proof food systems at LSE and beyond.

The theme is intentionally broad to ensure LSE students and staff from any discipline, department, or professional services team can get involved. Below are some of the areas that Living Lab research and community engagement projects could focus on.

Production & Procurement:

Living Lab projects could explore how food is sourced, produced and supplied across campus. This includes examining supply chains, sustainability standards and the wider impacts of food procurement decisions on campus.

Attitudes & behaviours

Living Lab projects could explore how people interact with food in their daily lives, from individual choices to collective habits. This includes exploring how attitudes, culture and access shape what we eat on campus.

Food Security & Resilience

Living Lab projects could explore how food systems remain reliable and secure in the face of climate and economic shocks. This includes strengthening supply chains, reducing vulnerability and ensuring consistent access to food.

Waste & Circularity

Living Lab projects could explore how food waste is generated, managed and reduced, and how circular approaches can be embedded into campus food systems.

Access & Equity

Living Labs projects could explore who has access to affordable, nutritious, sustainable food and how sustainable food systems can be made more inclusive and equitable on campus.

The LSE Living Lab is a school wide initiative and students and staff from across LSE are encouraged to get involved in a range of ways.

To meet the needs of the whole LSE community, the LSE Living Lab has developed two main streams of work: Research Projects and Action Projects.

Together, these two strands of work support both academic research and community engagement projects, maximising the impact of the LSE Living Lab across campus.

LSE Living Lab Research Projects:

LSE Living Lab Research Projects are real-world research projects that develop innovative approaches to sustainability challenges affecting LSE's food systems. Projects must respond to clearly identified needs and deliver meaningful impact on campus.

Impact can take many forms, including influencing behaviour change, informing policy and decision-making, improving operations, building community, reducing environmental impact or building sustainable practices on campus.

Living Lab Research Projects should bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. The purpose of the Living Lab is to generate useful solutions to sustainability challenges that can drive real change at LSE.

Up to £10,000 in funding is available per project. Find out more about LSE Living Lab Research Projects here.

LSE Living Lab Action Projects:

LSE Living Lab Action Projects are community-focused projects that encourage the wider LSE community to engage with the LSE Living Lab theme: The Future of Food. They do not require academic research, but they must respond to a specific community need or engage the LSE community with the work of the LSE Living Lab.

Action Projects can take many forms, from small pilots to larger initiatives. All proposals are welcome as long as they are feasible and can make a difference on campus.

A total of £10,000 is available for all LSE Living Lab Action Projects. There is no maximum funding request for Action Projects; however, the typical funding request is approximately £1,500.

Find out more about LSE Living Lab Action Projects here.