Keywords: children, education, STEM

The educational lab is a place for new forms of training and education in STEM fields, entrepreneurship and culture. Imbedded in LSTPs ecosystem laboratories and experimental areas invite curious people of all ages (0-100) to cooperatively discover, experiment, learn, teach, train and innovate: modernizing education to empower the next innovative generation.

Intensifying education in STEM fields and the interconnection between research and economy is a major economic policy goal for the Austrian government. In order to accelerate use and transfer of cutting-edge insights and technologies and to enhance R&D and innovation activities of enterprises it is crucial to tap new measures in education and training, especially in STEM and entrepreneurship. The Educational Lab is fundamental for LSTP to become a major innovation center by providing an ecosystem for R&D, education & training and operational development. The main target of the Educational Lab is stimulation of innovation in education and training. This is achieved throughout gathering education and training programs for natural sciences and entrepreneurship in a cooperative and self-organizing yet self-inventing way, leveraged through participative research of the nearby Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt. The corporate culture presupposes openness and curiosity and tolerance for failure, and it provides space to experiment, equipped with latest gadgets and technology. The Educational Lab fosters talent in young people, creating synergy between enterprises and young people via internships, projects and junior positions, facilitating employment for students. It is also beneficial for enterprises opening up their cooperation and innovation cycle for young and well-trained people at the forefront of research and education.

STPs are valuable catalysts of the quadruple helix, and LSTP serves as a platform in the knowledge triangle of enterprises - research - education. Given this social responsibility, the evolving Educational Lab is both metaphorically as well as physically ""innovation"" itself: the morphology inherits all stakeholders from the regional education sector, research and enterprise partners developing new forms of education for the surrounding society empowering visitors to discover, research and innovate themselves. Enabling all parts of the quadruple helix to not only reside, but develop new forms of education and training is crucial for the success of LSTP. Accompanied by participative research from the Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt the concept will develop itself continuously. Respective to the Austrian- (and maybe as well European-) area of STPs this project is beyond any doubt outstandingly unique.

The Educational Lab tackles the regional shortage of facilities, equipment and the right training for teaching staff of schools and education institutions. The ""BIKO mach MINTA"" module, an outer-school-laboratory with facilities and gadgets for science experiments, has attracted 8 pilot schools and over 600 pupils (aged 6-14) in the first year. The ""NAWImix"" module has trained 150 teachers in experimental natural sciences education who are themselves teaching 800 pupils in total. This summer the next module ""INSPIRE lab"" will develop entrepreneurship training for 200 pupils being mentored by startups and academics, accompanied by entrepreneurial workshops and events. The Educational Lab contributes to the enhancement of the competitiveness of the region as well as benefiting knowledge-transfer in education and training. In respect to digitization, IoT and automated production this project increases human resources in STEM fields and boosts the regions development massively.

From its foundation eleven years ago, childcare services have been crucial to the success of LSTP. With engagement of the main education institutions we are able to fill the gap between early ages until university and to invite people of all ages, small children to pupils, high school kids to students, young entrepreneurs to settled employees and maybe soon enoughcourses for retired people as well!