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

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Main Authors: Yeh, Sonia, Dirzka, Christopher, Kondratenko, Aleksandr, Libertson, Frans, Madon, Benedicte
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Yeh, Sonia
Dirzka, Christopher
Kondratenko, Aleksandr
Libertson, Frans
Madon, Benedicte
author_facet Yeh, Sonia
Dirzka, Christopher
Kondratenko, Aleksandr
Libertson, Frans
Madon, Benedicte
contents 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.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_06894
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle How Do Ports Organise Innovation? Linking Port Governance, Ownership, and Living Labs
Yeh, Sonia
Dirzka, Christopher
Kondratenko, Aleksandr
Libertson, Frans
Madon, Benedicte
Emerging Technologies
Computers and Society
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.
title How Do Ports Organise Innovation? Linking Port Governance, Ownership, and Living Labs
topic Emerging Technologies
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06894