Policy Labs are an EUKN service tailored to meet national, regional and local authorities' knowledge needs regarding pertinent urban development issues. Like all EUKN services, Policy Labs are practical and demand-driven activities, answering the requirements of the commissioning party and providing strategic knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. The Policy Labs are an integral part of the EUKN membership package but are also available for non-members upon request. They can take a variety of forms, such as expert meetings, panel discussions, site visits, case study presentations, workshops, and even small conferences with side events. Audiences may vary between 30 and more than 100 participants. The EUKN is continuously working on the development and improvement of innovative group working methods. The “speedboat method” has proven to be an effective brainstorming tool in numerous Policy Labs, fostering discussion and exchange in small, heterogeneous groups of experts. This method (and variations/extensions thereof) can be deployed for various purposes, be it the definition of bottlenecks or the identification of solutions. 

Building upon years of experience, the EUKN Secretariat supports the organization of the development of the environment. It also coordinates the logistics of the involvement of external experts such as academics, policy makers and practitioners. In addition, the format of joint Policy Labs has shown itself to be an interesting pooling of resources, strengthening the exchange between two or more EUKN members on a specific topic.

To learn more, browse through the list of Policy Labs implemented during the past years or contact the EUKN Secretariat at info@eukn.eu.