OneSTOP established five Living Labs across Europe to co-create innovative IAS detection and monitoring technologies. Located in diverse climatic and socio-economic settings, these Labs provide real-world environments for testing new methods, refining tools, and informing IAS management policies.

Each Living Lab is guided by a core stakeholder group involved in invasive species management, including representatives from local authorities, nature conservation organisations, businesses, biological recording communities, and the local OneSTOP research team. These groups identify priority species and locations, test new technologies, engage potential users, and support citizen science activities. Additional stakeholders and the public participate as needed. Feedback is used to improve technologies and workflows, while data generated through the Living Labs is integrated into the OneSTOP data-driven prioritisation system. OneSTOP also aims to ensure that these collaborations continue as lasting local partnerships beyond the project's lifetime.

Technologies 

Each of the Living Labs has co-deployed an AMI trap for the automated monitoring of nocturnal insects alongside a custom-built airDNA sampler and weather station from Platform Kinetic. The equipment will run at the five sites for approximately 20 weeks, allowing field testing of the technologies and sampling of the species present from a range of habitats and climatic conditions across Europe. Individual Living Labs are organising visits for their wider Living Lab communities to view the equipment in action. This trial builds on successful testing conducted by the Living Labs in the summer of 2025 and features upgraded equipment and standardised collection of weather data.

In addition to the co-location trial, each of the Living Labs now has a vehicle-mounted CamAlien unit for mapping invasive plant species and roadkill alongside roads and rivers. Each Living Lab team has identified a list of species of interest for their area, and Living Lab members from a range of organisations will be travelling along routes of interest to capture images of any invasives present.

Bioblitzes

The Living Labs have also been organising a range of events and bioblitzes to promote the OneSTOP PlantAlert app and the recording of invasive species using iNaturalist.