How Do Ports Organise Innovation? Linking Port Governance, Ownership, and Living Labs

TL;DR

This paper investigates how port governance and ownership influence the integration and success of Living Labs for sustainability and digital innovation, highlighting governance structures that support or hinder effective implementation.

Contribution

It develops a governance-LL fit framework and applies it through comparative case studies to reveal how governance shapes Living Lab outcomes in ports.

Findings

Landlord governance supports scaling LL outputs through contracts.

Public Service governance embeds learning via SOPs and coordination.

Effective LL implementation depends on clear roles and stakeholder engagement.

Abstract

Ports are pivotal to decarbonisation and resilience, yet port studies rarely examine how ownership and decision rights shape the process and outcomes of sustainability and digital pilots. Living Lab (LL) scholarship offers strong concepts, but limited sector-grounded explanation of LL-governance fit in ports. We develop and apply a governance-LL fit framework linking port governance and ownership to four LL pillars: co-creation, real-life setting, iterative learning, and institutional embedding (multi-level decision-making). We apply the framework in a comparative case study of two analytically contrasting ports, anchored in port-defined priorities: an Energy Community pilot in Aalborg and a Green Coordinator function in Trelleborg. Using an LL macro-meso-micro lens, we distinguish the stable constellation of actors and mandates (macro), the governance of specific projects (meso), and the methods used to generate and test solutions (micro). Findings show that Landlord governance offers contract- and procurement-based landing zones (concessions/leases and tender clauses) that can codify LL outputs and support scaling across tenants and infrastructures. Tool/Public Service governance embeds learning mainly through SOPs, procurement specifications, and municipal coordination, enabling internal operational gains but limiting external codification without bespoke agreements. Across both ports, key needs are clear role definition, sustained stakeholder engagement, and timely alignment with decision windows. Overall, LL effectiveness is governance-contingent, reflecting where decision rights sit and which instruments embed learning into routine practice.