City Case Description: Košice & Crafts Led Innovation

How does “prototyping” work?

This City Case Description is the outcome of a policy prototyping exercise within a city ecosystem.
Once the ekip research team has explored a policy area and its connection to cultural and creative
industries (CCIs) and innovation, we ask: what would this mean in a local city context?

Together with local stakeholders, we test how a draft policy recommendation might stimulate innovation. Using Portfolio Sensemaking, stakeholders simulate an innovation portfolio, analyse the strengths and gaps of the local support system, and identify what resources are needed to realise the portfolio.

Košice Context & Area of Focus

The Košice region has a strong cultural and artistic heritage, with numerous craft-based organizations and artisans contributing to local economic and social development. However, several challenges hinder the full realization of the sector’s potential, including limited access to international markets and exposure, insufficient integration of digital tools and new technologies, fragmented institutional support
and lack of coordinated efforts among stakeholders and weak business skills and marketing capabilities among craftspeople.

Innovation in the craft industry is influenced by various factors, including:

• Material Innovation: The use of new and sustainable materials to enhance product offerings.
• Digital Transformation: Adoption of e-commerce, digital marketing, and online sales platforms to expand market reach.
• Cross-Sector Collaboration: Partnerships between artisans, designers, technologists, and academic institutions to develop new products and processes.
• Infrastructure Development: The creation of shared workspaces, co-working hubs, and maker spaces to support collaborative innovation.