Cross Innovation: A new approach to promoting Innovation

The question of how innovations can be initiated today and in the future is a matter of concern for business developers in Hamburg and throughout Europe. With the Cross Innovation Conference on 29 and 30 November 2018, the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft brought together an international audience of experts to exchange experiences in the Speicherstadt. The conference laid the foundation for a European cross-innovation network that will enable a sustainable exchange on the cross-innovation approach beyond the conference days.

In the digital transformation, the creative economy often proves to be a pioneer in the development of new solutions. In keynote speeches, lectures and interactive formats, the participants discussed how they can promote cooperation between the creative industries and other sectors and how they can tap new innovation potentials. Keynote speaker Ramon Vullings emphasized that ideas are often the result of linking topics or industries that previously appeared to be different from each other. In a 'Marketplace', funding projects from all over Europe showed how in practice they encourage creative and other industries to work together to develop new potentials. 

Silvia Draghi, Policy Officer at the European Commission, named in her presentation the ability of the creative industries to translate new technologies into useful applications for customers and citizens. This was impressively demonstrated in the 'Creativity Boosts' sessions, in which artists and creatives presented their work: Artist, designer and futurist Amy Karle showed how she fuses digital, physical and biological systems in her works. Erik Kessels, managing director of the advertising agency KesselsKramer, demonstrated how radical changes of perspective and irony can be used to develop new ideas and messages. 

Egbert Rühl, Managing Director of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, and Jenny Kornmacher, Project Manager of the Cross Innovation Hub, presented in a session the idea of establishing a sustainable network to promote cross innovation. The first partners are already on board. Concrete steps of further development are to follow in 2019.