This article provides a subjective personal introspection of the attempt to develop and maintain an Early Childhood Research Laboratory (ECRL) at the University of Cyprus and a description of the first activities undertaken by the ECRL. I specifically illustrate the process of legitimising the need for an ECRL at the University of Cyprus and provide a depiction of the actions taken within the university community to set it up and the strategic moves to support the continuation of its existence. Then, a description of the activities of the ECRL are presented proposing a reconceptualised view of the role of a research lab, one which eliminates the compartmentalisation of the three missions of lab schools through the tenet of communities of practice. Particular premises are discussed to support the integration of the three-fold mission of labs and a case study of a research programme is presented through the communities of practice highlighting the three missions. (author abstract)