Innovation in cultural and creative industries in Germany

This study found 34% of German companies in the cultural and creative industries to display significant levels of innovativeness with 40% of these enterprises being classified as socially innovative.

Innovative companies in the cultural and creative industries

At 34%, the share of innovative enterprises in the cultural and creative industries is significantly higher compared to the overall economy (20%). In the field of social innovation, this distinction is even more pronounced. This finding is the result of an analysis of companies in the cultural and creative sector conducted by ISTARI together with the Swiss economic research company Prognos. The study was commissioned by the Competence Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries of the Swiss Confederation.

Research approach

We used ISTARI's propiertary webAI-technology to quantify innovation activities, i.e. the introduction or improvement of goods or services. Based on company websites and artificial intelligence, we were able to identify companies in Germany with an innovation-related activity profile. The basis of our model was a questionnaire-based, scientific innovation survey.

Diverse innovation activities in the cultural and creative sector

The innovation activities of the approximately 62,000 companies in the cultural and creative industries are very diverse. For example, innovations can be related to digitalisation (e.g. artificial intelligence) or the topic of sustainability (e.g. circular economy). However, there are also innovations with a social character, for example, in relation to accessibility or inclusion. 40% of the companies surveyed were concerned with the latter type of innovations. Companies in the submarkets of software and games, design and film were particularly innovative. Our analysis also identified regional innovation hotspots in Berlin, Hamburg and Bavaria.

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More detailed information can be found in the thematic dossier "Innovations in the Cultural and Creative Industries" (in German): https://kreativ-bund.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Themendossier_Innovationen_Juni_2023.pdf