Earlier exploration of the Coffs Harbour food innovation ecosystem (Project Number P1-005) identified great potential in the Coffs Harbour region for increasing value-addition and overall production output. Collaboration among different stakeholders, including growers, producers, retailers, educational institutions, and policy makers, was observed as an overarching barrier to realizing this potential. A ‘Precinct’ where multiple stakeholders can come together in knowledge and other resource exchange was proposed as a viable solution to overcome these hurdles. The proposed project will address this issue, with the aim of establishing a ‘Living Lab’ (i.e. Living Laboratory) in Coffs Harbour to design the Precinct and act as a hub where other solutions can be developed to evolve the region’s agrifood ecosystem. A Living Lab can be defined as a user-cantered, open innovation ecosystem based on systematic user co-creation approaches that integrate research and innovation processes in real life communities and settings.
