New Hub for Creative Industries and Digital Media

The St. Pölten UAS introduced the Open Innovation Hub “Creative Industries and Digital Media”, which was established within the framework of the E.I.N.S. project funded through the EIT HEI initiative. This hub is a new innovation centre at the St. Pölten UAS and is meant to be a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and growth in the creative industries and in the field of digital media both in St. Pölten and at the European level. It was presented at the 11th SMARTUP forum hosted by the city of St. Pölten on 15 March 2023.

The offers of the Open Innovation Hub range from activities in entrepreneurial training to the support of regional start-ups and businesspersons. Innovation coming from St. Pölten UAS students and researchers is to promote and assist in the foundation of companies.

From the regional to the European levels, the networking activities of the hub are designed to enable researchers and students, start-ups and entrepreneurs as well as investors and policymakers to work on challenges and new possibilities in the fields of creative industries and digital media together.

“It was no coincidence that the hub was introduced at the SMARTUP Forum. Rather, it shows the close connection between the hub and the flourishing ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in St. Pölten as well as networking possibilities between the city and the St. Pölten UAS. We offer our cooperation partners access to highly modern facilities at our institution plus trainings, workshops, and hackathons. We connect them to mentors and offer networking opportunities and resources to support the development of new ideas, products, services, and business models”, says Malgorzata Zofia Goraczek, coordinator of the hub at the St. Pölten UAS.

Vibrant Ecosystem for Innovation in St. Pölten

“In the past few years, many of the most successful digital innovations were developed away from the traditional research, development, and innovation centres, and we observe a rapid transformation of ecosystems for digital innovation. Creative environments and collaborative methods as well as a considerable acceleration of cyclical development processes are being established”, explains St. Pölten UAS Executive Director Hannes Raffaseder.

Franz Fidler and Thomas Moser from the St. Pölten UAS manage the new hub together.

“Our objective is to create a living ecosystem of the creative industries and digital media that brings together the best and brightest minds – our UAS researchers and students on the one hand and regional innovators on the other – in order to work with start-ups and companies, experiment, and come up with new things”, says Franz Fidler, Head of the Department of Media and Digital Technologies at the St. Pölten UAS.

“By promoting an open culture of innovation and creating room for experimenting, we initiate ideas and innovation in this exciting sector, thereby contributing to the growth and success of our region”, explains Thomas Moser, Head of the Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies at the St. Pölten UAS.

The hub promotes networking between existing companies, start-ups, innovators, researchers, and students by offering a range of formats and events on a regular basis.

Regional Hub at European Level

The new hub originated within the framework of the project E.I.N.S. – E³UDRES² Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network for Smart and Sustainable European Regions, which is funded through the EIT HEI initiative that supports higher education institutions in establishing and realising capacities in innovation and entrepreneurship.

This network was launched by the European University E³UDRES², which is coordinated by the St. Pölten UAS, together with the University Industry Interaction Network (UIIN). The network ensures that results from teaching and research contribute to new and marketable products and services through the foundation of businesses and other forms of knowledge transfer. Seven universities and extramural research institutions from the European University E³UDRES² have pooled their expertise in this network with the goal of advancing entrepreneurship and innovation in their respective regions.

The Open Innovation Hub is financed by the European Commission within the framework of the EIT HEI initiative.

Further Information:

• E.I.N.S. Open Innovation Hub “Creative Industries and Digital Media” https://eudres.eu/eins_hub_creative_industries
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network for Smart and Sustainable European Regions (E.I.N.S.) https://eins.eudres.eu
• European University E³UDRES² https://eudres.eu

Contact Hub “Creative Industries and Digital Media”

Malgorzata Goraczek, project lead EINS, email: eins@eudres.eu