Current challenges and trends call for business transformation. At the Cross Innovation Lab, companies work alongside creative experts to develop new products, services or sustainable strategies – within the relevant lab focus area, depending on the challenge at hand.
Technological, social and economic changes are constantly presenting companies with new challenges. To remain competitive and actively shape the future, new perspectives and innovative approaches are needed. At the Cross Innovation Lab, we deliberately open up the innovation process to external experts: we bring companies together with Hamburg’s top creative talent and guide them through a structured cross-innovation process.
For companies looking to develop new products or services. Together, we analyse target group needs through qualitative interviews, develop ideas, test them with users at an early stage and bring them to life as prototypes.
For companies looking to further develop their strategy, business model or a product category to make it fit for the future. Together, we explore future trends and plausible future scenarios, identify strategic areas for action and develop concrete innovation and strategy options.
In both labs, teams from companies work alongside curated creative experts from our network. The Cross Innovation Hub is responsible for the design, facilitation and delivery of the entire process. The lab sessions take place at our premises over the course of several weeks. Depending on the project, clients or other stakeholders may be involved in the innovation process. This not only leads to viable solutions but also fosters valuable networks.
Companies and public sector organisations across all sectors and of all sizes – excluding the creative industries.
Product Lab: 9 days
Future-Proof Lab: 7 days
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 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.
