Living Lab

The Living Lab is where ideas become reality.

It’s our year-round engine for ethical, place-based innovation where charities and technologists come together to build real AI tools that serve communities across our region. 

We’re recruiting volunteers right now - discover the latest opportunities at the bottom of this page.

Why it exists

We’re rooted in the South West - we live here, work here, and care deeply about how technology shapes our communities.

Building on the foundations of our AI Peer Network, the Living Lab exists to turn local challenges into real, AI-powered solutions. 

Whether you're a charity with a problem to solve, a technologist ready to contribute, or a policymaker driving responsible innovation, we want to hear from you.

This is your chance to be part of real-life, game-changing digital inclusion projects.

Volunteers gain:

  • Real-world, mission-aligned projects

  • Skills in responsible AI, UX, data ethics, and co-design

  • A sense of purpose beyond profit

Funders and ecosystem partners support:

  • Scalable infrastructure for responsible innovation

  • Regional resilience through civic tech capability

  • Clear impact evidence, storytelling, and case studies


Let’s work together to deliver truly impactful community-driven tech projects in the South West.

What we’ve achieved so far

The Living Lab has already delivered some exciting, practical AI solutions:


Age UK Gloucestershire
Challenge: Internal knowledge sharing
Solution: AI assistant integrated with Microsoft Copilot to help staff and trustees access key strategy documents and updates

Centre for Sustainable Energy
Challenge: Dispersed advice tools and outdated databases
Solution: Unified AI assistant offering plain-language, real-time answers by pulling from SharePoint and legacy systems

Dorothy House Hospice Care
Challenge: Limited ways to hear community voices in service design
Solution: “Virtual focus group” assistant trained on real personas to inform strategy and amplify lived experience

These projects show how AI can be used responsibly to solve real challenges and strengthen community services in the South West.

Our next focus - Data & AI Foundations for Custom Assistants

For the final quarter of 2025, the Living Lab cohort will focus on the critical building blocks of effective AI: data management and infrastructure. Recognising that quality data is the foundation of any successful AI implementation, we'll help organisations:

  • Develop robust data frameworks - create organised structures for information that powers AI tools

  • Implement knowledge management systems - transform scattered resources into accessible, structured content

  • Build data governance processes - establish ethical approaches to data collection and usage

  • Create sustainable data pipelines - design systems that keep information current and reliable

These essential foundations will enable the development of specialised GPT-based assistants that reduce staff workload, improve service accessibility, and preserve vital organisational knowledge. 

With GPT-based assistants reducing the time spent on repetitive enquiries, charities can free up valuable human time to support their communities face-to-face and hands on.

Who it’s for

The Living Lab welcomes expressions of interest from:

  • Charities and VCSEs ready to co-create AI solutions

  • Tech professionals and students keen to volunteer their skills to real-life digital inclusion projects

  • Funders, local authorities, and ecosystem partners exploring scalable social innovation

Whether you're just starting out or a whizz with AI, there’s a place for you in the Living Lab.

How it works

We review expressions of interest on a rolling basis. Each quarter, we form new project teams. 

Major events like Bristol Tech Festival (October) and Winter Showcase (December) serve as cohort milestones.

Get involved

We accept rolling expressions of interest throughout the year. Whether you’re a charity looking for support or a volunteer ready to help, fill in the form below.

<Register my interest>

Not quite ready to join the lab? Join our AI Peer Network first to build your confidence.

Got a question? Email us at hello@tech4goodsouthwest.org

We need volunteers - this is a call out for:

We’re recruiting volunteers to bring their skills to real-world digital inclusion projects.

Find out more

👉 Microsoft Copilot Engineer (Mid-Level)
You're confident with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and/or the Power Platform. You’ll act as the “AI lead” for your team guiding practical implementation and helping charity staff understand how to use Copilot safely, ethically, and effectively.

👉 Project Manager / Coordinator
You keep projects moving and people connected. You’ll help the team stay aligned on priorities, make sure deliverables happen on time, and act as the bridge between charity goals and technical delivery.

👉 Copilot Studio & Power Platform Builder (Low-Code AI Developer)
You’re great at thinking logically and building tools with drag-and-drop
platforms. You don’t need to write code, but you do know how to build flows, assistants, and apps using tools like Power Automate, Power Apps, or Copilot Studio.

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