Cross Innovation Lab
Current challenges and trends require entrepreneurial transformations. In the Cross Innovation Lab, new processes, services or product innovations for your company are initiated at an early stage.
In today's world, trends and customer needs change almost daily. New and complex solutions are required for companies to remain competitive in the global market and meet sustainability standards. In this environment, traditional, closed innovation strategies are reaching their limits. What happens when you open up the innovation process within the company to external players and industries? That's exactly what we do in the Cross Innovation Lab. We bring companies together with the best creative minds from Hamburg and guide them through a joint innovation process.
Optimisation in the early phase
In the Cross Innovation Lab, innovation needs are addressed in the early phase. In modules that build on each other, companies work together with creatives to develop customised solutions for their challenges over a total of nine format days. In the final phase, concepts or prototypes are created that are ready for practical testing and can be transferred to realisation in an advanced module. There is also the opportunity to involve potential or existing customers as well as other companies participating in the lab in the innovation process. This creates a valuable network beyond the actual work phase.
Result
- Validated concept and/or prototype for product, process or service innovations
- Roadmap ready for decision-making for the next steps to secure internal budgets or attract external partners and funding
Benefits
- Constructive, cross-industry change of perspective
- In-depth analysis of the future of your industry
- Close support from our team in all process phases
- Strengthening your innovation culture and empowering the team to proactively shape future challenges (process and methodological expertise)
- Enablement of employees and team building
- Networking with Hamburg's creative scene
- Continuation module possible
Target group
Companies and public institutions of all sectors and sizes outside the creative industries
Length
9 days
Next date
November 2025
Racap Cross Innovation Lab with the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY):
Contact persons
- Bruno Marks
- Partner Manager Cross Innovation Hub
- 040 2372435-85 Kurzbiografie
Nicole Wittek is responsible for cooperation and partner management at the Cross Innovation Hub and is the point of contact for all companies and organisations that want to find out more about the potential of cross innovation with creative experts and are interested in working together.
She studied Cultural Studies, Media Studies and Business Administration at the University of Regensburg. There she played a key role in the development and management of the inner-city creative centre and helped to establish the area of cultural and creative industries promotion. Most recently, she worked in an interdisciplinary office for urban development, where she designed co-creative formats and implemented them in projects for city centre development and mobility.
Nicole has been voluntarily organising projects at the interface of culture, (creative) economy and urban development for over ten years and is a founding and board member of the association obenstadt e.V., which promotes multifunctional roof uses, and is co-initiator of the Hamburg Roof Days.
- Sebastian Metcalfe
- Partner and programme manager Cross Innovation Hub
- 040 2372435-98 Kurzbiografie
Sebastian works in both partner and programme management at the Cross Innovation Hub. He is the point of contact for companies that want to turn their challenges into creative innovation projects (partner management), while at the same time actively helping to shape the content and methodology of the programmes (programme management). Through this dual function, he ensures that the needs of the companies flow directly into the creative processes - a win-win situation for everyone involved.
After training as a media designer for image & sound, Sebastian completed his degree in Media & Information (Dipl.) at HAW Hamburg. His professional experience includes working as a software trainer at Apple and as a senior producer at a digital agency for YouTube formats.