Over the past five years that has been proliferation of policy and social innovation labs (PSiLabs) worldwide. These labs work within or for the government and apply scientific methods and principles to address social issues. Part of their policy design approach is citizen participation and collaboration. Our proposed research focuses on how PS-iLabs act as a “scientific” buffer between society and the state and on the transformation of policy issues to recommended policy solutions. Understanding “labification” as a nexus between society, the state, and science provide new insights about how to enhance positive contributions and inhibit negative consequences in policy innovation design, which in turn promotes public and social well-being.