Innovation for the creative industries and by creative professionals was the overarching theme of this year’s 9th European Creative Industries Summit (# ECIS2019) in Helsinki. For the Kreativwirtschaft  Austria (KAT) one of the main partners of the # ECIS2019, the creative industries sector plays an important role in the European innovation landscape. Creative companies are crucial to the growth and prosperity of the European market, not only because of their new ideas, products or designs, but also because of the constant process of generating soft innovation.

Left to Right: Marko Ahtisaari, Helsinki Festival; Bernd Fesel, ECBN; Anna Valtonen, Aalto University; Marco van Hout, Digital Society School; Hanna Kosonen, Finnish Minister for Science and Culture; Vivianne offmann, Deputy Director, Directorate General for Education and Culture; Kai Huotari, Director Kaapeli Helsinki.

With the # ECIS2019, the European Creative Business Network (ECBN) clearly shows that soft innovation has the same or even greater impact on the development of new products or services than pure technological innovation.


“KAT concludes that the ECBN has to call into question the innovation policy promoted by today’s European Union, which focuses exclusively on traditional technological innovation but excludes soft innovation. Opening up the promotion of innovation for soft innovation processes could result in greater output and overall impact.”
Gerin Trautenberger, President Kreativwirtschaft Austria

 

Soft innovations are part of the cross-industry innovation process, where traditional businesses benefit from the skills and knowledge of creative entrepreneurs. KAT defines this as the “Kreativwirtschaftseffekt”– the creative industries effect. In a nutshell one could state that there is hardly a sector that has gained more relevance in Europe in recent years as an economic and competitive factor than the creative industries.

As a driver of growth and innovation, the creative industries constitute an important factor of success in the Austrian economy. While the innovative potential in the creative industries as such is very high, they also act as a catalyst for innovative products and services in other enterprises, fuelling their creation of value and growth. Other sectors, regional innovation systems and Austria as a business location are the beneficiaries of this creative industries effect.

The KAT represents around 42,000 creative entrepreneurs and their companies.The KAT works as a service provider for the Austrian creative industries and is committed to good framework conditions and prominence of their cross overs or known as cross-industrial effects. Every two years, the KAT presents the latest economic findings of the creative industries in Austria. For more Informations please visit: www.kreativwirtschaft.at/en/