Lidia Gryszkiewicz, PhD, is an innovation and impact specialist who has been helping to co-create innovative, sustainable, participatory, culturally rich, user-friendly and attractive cities and regions. She initiated and developed strategies and methodologies for muti-stakeholder urban innovation labs, as well as co-developed strategies for one-off citizen engagement campaigns. She has worked on international projects as well as local initiatives to co-develop urban sites together with their (future or existing) inhabitants, visitors and users. Her expertise ranges from participatory governance and collaborative innovation, through social innovation and impact measurement, to knowledge economy and entrepreneurship support. Lidia has worked predominantly in the fields of urban design, social cohesion, economic development, spatial planning, cultural policies and sustainable development.

Currently a Managing Director at The Impact Lab (Luxembourg), Lidia has 16+ years of strategy consulting and applied research experience spanning Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (Luxembourg), Limitless (Luxembourg), Arthur D. Little (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels), PricewaterhouseCoopers (Amsterdam), KPMG (Warsaw).

Lidia holds a PhD in innovation management from Louvain Academy (Belgium), a Master in International Business from Maastricht University (The Netherlands) and a Master in Management and Strategy from University of Lodz (Poland). She has completed the Creating Shared Value programme at Harvard Business School (USA) and the Oxford Impact Measurement Programme at the University of Oxford (UK). Lidia is also an author on topics such as innovation in urban settings, social impact measurement, or service innovation in knowledge economy, and she has served as an invited lecturer at Central Saint Martins – University of the Arts London, University of Luxembourg and the School of Public Administration at Krakow University of Economics.

Lidia has supported various European organisations (European Commission, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Research Executive Agency, Enterprise Europe Network) and national governments (Slovak Government's Operational Programme Research and Innovation; Ministry of Education, Research, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovakia; Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies / Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany; Luxembourg’ Ministries of Economy, Culture, Sustainable Development and Climate) in the development and/or evaluation of (inter)national policies, programs and networks. As member of the “Innovation in SMEs” Advisory Group for Horizon 2020 – The Framework Programme For Research and Innovation in Europe, Lidia was one of the first international advisors helping develop the flagship SME support programme in Europe, SME Instrument. As national delegate, she helped co-create the international innovation standards (ISO and CEN). She has worked and lived in Poland, US, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Asia and is able to bring an international perspective to any project.

How can I support you and your URBACT network?

1. PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE, COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION & CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
For the last 15 years I have been helping city mayors, ministers, secretaries of state and CEOs of non-profits and large urban developers alike to create participatory governance for economies, cities and organisations. I have (co-)designed and used collaborative changemaking, co-creation, citizen participation and human-centred design methodologies to help develop strategies for national-level programmes as the cofounder of The Impact Lab. I collaborated with local authorities as well as with urbanists, heritage consultants, architects, landscape specialises, engineers, designers and developers to help collaboratively revitalise cities in social, cultural, environmental, and economic respects. Illustrative experience:

• - helped design international policymaking process in the government-supported Franco-German Future Forum
• - led the H2020 Urban Innovation Lab project that developed research-based urban innovation lab tools
• - engaged the population, experts and policy-makers in 20+ spatial planning innovation labs across 4 countries
• - co-led citizen engagement for one of the largest post-industrials sites currently being revitalised in Europe
• - co-developed citizen participation masterplan and toolbox for eleven 2022 European Capital of Culture municipalities
• - published articles on urban innovation hubs and innovation labs
• - served as global Advisor of Participatory City in London
• - invited as expert to the international 'Lab on Labs' iniatiative promoting democracy and sustainability in local settings.

 

2. SOCIAL INNOVATION
My expertise focuses on design, implementation, and evaluation of social innovation approaches, from very local initiatives to international programmes. Illustrative experience:

• - led the global Social Innovation Academy that has reached hundreds of thousands of people from 200+ countries
• - developed a methodology for a nation-wide Climate Innovation Lab commissioned by the Minister of Environment
• - developed the strategy and methodology for the first social innovation lab in Luxembourg
• - run a Limitless Innovation Bootcamp for social innovation vision & mission setting of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community's Luxembourg hub.

 

3. IMPACT MEASUREMENT / MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Being trained at the Oxford Impact Measurement Programme, my approach is laser-focused on how to design any activity in a way that will deliver real and measurable improvements. I have designed strategic impact frameworks, theories of change, evaluation systems and SDG impact frameworks and reviewed countless impact claims agains EU impact criteria. Illustrative experience:

• - co-developed strategic impact framework and monitoring and evaluation programme the European Capital of Culture 2022 (cross-border programme, approx. USD 75 million budget, 19 municipalities, impact portfolio of 150+ international projects)
• - served ad independent expert for impact monitoring, evaluation and validation of hundreds of proposals, projects and programmes by the European Commission, European Education and Culture Executive Agency, Research Executive Agency, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), national governments and more
• - trained and coached multiple officials as well as technical teams in impact monitoring and evaluation, research methods, and data collection
• - co-authored an impact assessment readiness framework featured by the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

 

4. KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY
My approach combines expertise as academic and applied researcher, consultant, entrepreneur, independent expert advisor and mentor in the topics of knowledge economy. Illustrative experience:

• - worked as independent expert for several Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of EIT
• - subcontracted as expert for the EIT-HEI DISCO project on the development of innovation and entrepreneurship skills
• - developed knowledge economy solutions as R&D engineer with Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
• - managed strategic projects at PricewaterhouseCoopers' Online and Knowledge Management department
• - advised clients on R&D, education & training, innovation, tech industry, human capital at Arthur D. Little (Benelux)
• - co-founded the Limitless consultancy focused on innovation skills and competences development.
• - researched service innovation capabilities development in knowledge-intensive organisations
• - served as startup mentor at the Founder Institute.

 

5. CULTURAL STRATEGIES FOR CITIES
I have co-led projects focused on the cultural programming and development of strategic concepts for heritage sites, cultural revitalisation of urban neighbourhoods, and strategies for cultural participation on municipality, regional and cross-border levels. My approach to culture is largely rooted in enabling citizen/multi-stakeholder participation in culture, social impact measurement of culture, and applying solid strategic management to culture. I have advised Ministries of Culture and Tourism, and worked with local culture and tourism clients. Illustrative expertise:

• - served as strategy advisor to Esch2022 European Capital of Culture
• - co-developed a Masterplan and Toolbox for Citizen Participation in Culture
• - trained mayors and representatives of 10+ municipalities in citizen participation
• - co-wrote a Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends as country expert Luxembourg
• - co-created local strategies for citizen participation in culture and heritage (various cities)
• - supported the leading contemporary and modern art museum in collaboratively developing its impact strategy 2025
• - co-developed strategies for cultural and heritage sites (e.g. Centre Mosellan, a national wine experience centre, the A Possen eco-museum, the immersive Spektrum space)
• - carried out research on impact of several cultural third places
• - published on topics such as Digitising Industrial Heritage, culture and nature, or impact of culture.

 

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