The first TOGETHER Living Lab (LL1) was successfully held on 23 March 2026 in Oslo, Norway, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders from public authorities, private sector organisations, civil society actors, research institutions, and operational emergency management bodies. Hosted by Oslo Kommune and NORSAR within the framework of the TOGETHER project, the workshop represented an important first step in establishing the project’s collaborative and stakeholder-driven approach to disaster risk management and governance. The Living Lab followed the Public-Private-Civil Partnership (PPCP®) methodology and aimed to foster dialogue, identify operational needs and governance gaps, and strengthen multi-level and cross-sector coordination in disaster risk management.
The workshop gathered representatives from municipalities, the County Governor, Oslo University Hospital, Civil Defence, Police, transport and telecommunication operators, water and wastewater authorities, community organisations, event organisers, and volunteer-based actors. Researchers and facilitators from several TOGETHER partner organisations also contributed to the discussions, ensuring a strong combination of scientific, operational, governance, and societal perspectives. The broad participation demonstrated the strong interest in collaborative approaches to resilience and highlighted the importance of involving stakeholders with complementary expertise and responsibilities across the disaster management cycle.
The main objectives of the Living Lab were to initiate dialogue among stakeholders, identify priorities and needs in crisis management, analyse strengths and weaknesses in existing coordination systems, and explore opportunities for involving citizens and communities more effectively in organised crisis management. Through a series of interactive sessions, participants discussed current challenges related to governance fragmentation, communication barriers, interoperability limitations, and coordination across sectors and institutions. The agenda combined presentations, icebreakers, SWOT group exercises, plenary discussions, collaborative future-oriented activities, and stakeholder feedback sessions, creating an open and participatory environment for exchange and co-creation.
The discussions highlighted several strengths within Oslo’s disaster risk management system, including high competence among actors, strong infrastructure, established preparedness routines, and effective cooperation mechanisms. At the same time, stakeholders identified important challenges related to complexity, information sharing, coordination between systems, and communication within a large and diverse urban population. Participants also recognised significant opportunities to improve through stronger collaboration, more joint exercises, better use of technology and interoperable systems, and increased involvement of businesses, volunteers, and citizens in preparedness and response activities. Particular emphasis was placed on the need for integrated governance approaches, trusted information exchange, and practical tools that support real-time coordination and situational awareness.
An important lesson learned from the workshop was the value of participatory and co-creation methodologies in building trust and strengthening stakeholder engagement. The Living Lab demonstrated that bringing together actors from different sectors and governance levels can generate a shared understanding of risks, priorities, and operational constraints, while also helping identify practical pathways toward improved coordination and resilience. Participants also stressed the importance of maintaining continuous engagement beyond the workshop itself through follow-up communication, targeted consultations, and future collaborative activities. Time constraints and competing operational priorities were identified as key barriers to participation, highlighting the need for flexible and efficient engagement formats in future Living Labs.
The insights collected during LL1 will directly contribute to the development of the TOGETHER Toolkit, particularly in relation to governance frameworks, interoperability solutions, stakeholder coordination mechanisms, and community engagement approaches. More broadly, the workshop confirmed the relevance of the TOGETHER project’s holistic vision and demonstrated the importance of combining technical innovation with governance, communication, and societal dimensions to strengthen disaster resilience across Europe.
