Integrating Maker Skills in Innovation Ecosystems
Bridging maker culture, research and industry
Garages meets R&D; Learning by Making Together in a shared prototype challenge.
Overview
What has been done
The local action tested how makers, creatives and R&D-related participants can collaborate through hands-on prototyping. Over two days at Vector Lab Chemnitz, participants designed and built a wooden bottle holder, moving from idea development to digital preparation, CNC milling, assembly and finishing. The shared making process created a practical setting to train soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, adaptability and teamwork. It also opened space for peer learning, role-switching and new cross-sector contacts between maker culture, research and industry.
Why was it needed locally
Chemnitz has strong industrial, research and maker ecosystems, but these often work next to each other rather than together. R&D environments are usually structured and goal-driven, while makerspaces offer fast experimentation, improvisation and hands-on learning. The local action addressed this gap by creating a neutral space where both worlds could collaborate on a tangible task. The aim was to tap the innovation potential of maker methods and show how practical co-creation can strengthen communication, trust, creativity and problem-solving across sectors.
Target Groups: How were they activated and their benefits
Professional network – Our associations professional network: SME, Education, Makerspaces, R&D
Activation: By personal invitation far in advance.
Benefit: Enriching their network, learning new skills.
Maker space – The Makerspace hosting the workshop
Activation: Sparking interested and workshop fee
Benefit: Testing workshop methods and gaining feedback
Research institute / R&D facility – R&D-related professionals from university and industry contexts
Activation: Activated through personal invitations and the link to product development.
Benefit: R&D-related professionals: experienced fast, hands-on prototyping outside usual work routines and st
Industrial / technological SME – Makers and makerspace actors; creative practitioners; R&D-related professionals from university and industry contexts; public-sector innovation actors, such as municipal smart-city or regional innovation roles; intermediary organisations and business support organisations working at the interface of industry, research and creative practice.
Activation: The target group was activated through personal invitations, a clear link to innovation and product development, and the attractive setting of Vector Lab as an open makerspace. The hands-on prototyping task made participation concrete and relevant, while the low-hierarchy format allowed contribution of different skills.
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Makers: Activated through the familiar makerspace setting and a hands-on prototyping task.
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Creative practitioners: Activated through the design challenge and open creative process.
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R&D professionals: Activated through personal invitations and the link to product development.
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Public-sector: Activated by showing makerspaces as places for transformation & skills development.
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business support organisations: Activated through the transferable nature of the format.
Benefit: The target group benefited from a practical setting where different sectors could collaborate directly instead of only exchanging ideas abstractly. Participants gained new contacts, tested maker-based prototyping methods, strengthened soft skills such as communication and problem-solving, and experienced makerspaces as valuable environments.
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Makers and makerspace actors: demonstrated maker methods as valuable tools for innovation and gained
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Creative practitioners: tested creative skills in a practical product challenge and made their role
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R&D-related professionals: experienced fast, hands-on prototyping outside usual work routines and st
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Public-sector innovation actors: saw how makerspaces can support cross-sector cooperation and local
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Intermediary / business support organisations: gained a transferable example for connecting sectors
Resources Required
Staff
Facilitators with Makerspace, digital fabrication and moderation competence; able to guide interdisciplinary groups, ensure machine safety...
Approx. 4–6 staff days in total, including preparation, participant communication, two workshop days with facilitation and machine supervision, eval.
Space
Makerspace Vector Lab Chemnitz: workshop area with CNC equipment plus seminar/meeting room for ideation, presentations and reflection.
Equipment
CNC router, CAD/CAM computers, wood stock, sanding and finishing tools, basic PPE, and materials for prototype assembly.
Budget
Medium: 2-10,000 €
Small budget below 2,000 €, mainly covering staff time, catering for two workshop days, prototype materials and consumables; venue and workshop excl.
Methods & Steps
Core Mechanism
Formats applied
Workshop:
Two-day interdisciplinary maker skills workshop combining short framing inputs, small-group product ideation, hands-on prototyping with CNC fabrication, and structured reflection on soft skills, collaboration and transfer potential.
Methods used: Learning by Making Together: Participants learned collaboration and soft skills through a shared hands-on prototyping task. By designing and building a wooden bottle holder together, they practiced communication, problem-solving, adaptability and teamwork in a practical setting.Cross-Sector Prototype Challenge: Mixed teams of makers, creatives and R&D-related participants developed product ideas and translated them into a physical prototype. The simple but open task created space for different skills, perspectives and working cultures to meet.
Expert-Learner Role Switching: Participants moved fluidly between sharing expertise and learning from others during design, CNC preparation and fabrication. This non-hierarchical approach supported trust-building, peer learning and stronger interdisciplinary cooperation.
Steps taken
Participant Mapping & Invitation - Day 1
6 hours
- Preparation phase: Identified a fitting and centrally located Makerspace with a workshop lead and designed the workshop together.
- Cross-Sector Invitation: A mixed group of makers, creatives, R&D-related professionals and innovation actors was invited to create a balanced setting for peer learning and collaboration. Communication focused on hands-on collaboration, product development and soft skills in practice.
Shared Framing & Task Introduction - Day 1
1,5 hours
- arrival & introduction : Participants arrived at Vector Lab, got to know each other and received an introduction to the workshop goal.
- From Idea to Product: The workshop started with a shared introduction to the challenge: designing and building a wooden bottle holder as a tangible prototype.
- finding teams: Participants had to find their own team based on short introductions and pare based on a first impression.
Concept Development in Mixed Teams - Day 1
2 hours
- conceptualisation phase: Participants developed first product ideas, discussed material choices, functions, strengths and weaknesses.
- Team-Based Concept Design: Participants worked in small mixed teams to foster the use of soft skills.
Digital Preparation & Group Decision - Day 1
2 hours
- Digital design: Ideas were translated into digital fabrication logic and prepared for CNC production. The group selected design directions to continue into prototyping. Some were able to prepare their own digital designs for prototyping, others needed guidance from the workshop lead or other participants.
- Digital Translation: Selected ideas were transferred into a digital fabrication workflow and prepared for CNC production.
Day 2
6 hours
- Presentation of the design: The participants presented their designs to the whole group, opening the space for feedback, discussions and further project development.
- Fabrication, Assembly & Finishing: Participants prepared and milled parts with CNC support, assembled the prototype and carried out sanding and finishing work. Facilitation ensured safety, time management and peer learning.
- Reflection & Evaluation: Participants reflected on collaboration, maker skills and transfer potential. Feedback was collected through exchange and questionnaires for pilot reporting.
Results
Measurable and Direct Outcomes
The local action brought about the following concrete results:
- Improved maker skills: Participants actively applied and strengthened soft skills and makers skills such as communication, problem-solving, goal orientation, adaptability and teamwork during the shared prototyping process.
- New / enhanced cooperation: The workshop created new cross-sector contacts between makers, creatives, R&D-related professionals and public-sector innovation actors.
- Improved transversal skills: Participants jointly developed and built a tangible wooden bottle holder prototype using digital design and CNC fabrication. The physical result made collaboration visible and provided a concrete reference point for reflection and transfer through practices.
Indirect Impacts
The action strengthened trust and understanding between actors who often work in parallel: makers, creatives, R&D professionals and public-sector innovation roles. It showed that makerspaces can function as neutral meeting grounds for practical innovation, soft-skill development and cross-sector learning. While no formal permanent structure was established, the workshop created an expanded contact network and several ideas for repeatable follow-up formats. In this sense, the main enduring impact
Local Outlook / Follow-up
- Reoffer the format at Vector Lab: Vector Lab and Kreatives Chemnitz can repeat the format as a small workshop series with changing product challenges and tools, such as CNC, laser cutting or 3D printing. The aim is to keep the maker-based soft skill format available for mixed groups from industry, research and creative practice.
- Involve younger target groups: Future editions should deliberately include apprentices, vocational students and young professionals. This would strengthen the long-term impact of maker-based learning for industrial transformation and future workforce development.
- Use the pilot as a regional best practice: The workshop can serve as a concrete reference for how makerspaces support soft skills, innovation and cross-sector cooperation. Kreatives Chemnitz can use it in regional strategy discussions, stakeholder communication and future funding applications.
- Develop cooperation with companies and intermediaries: A next step is to involve companies, business support organisations or innovation agencies more directly in financing and co-designing future formats. This could create a sustainable model where regional industry benefits from maker-based training and contributes to its costs.
Evaluation
Satisfaction - Overview
Participants were highly satisfied with the workshop format and its practical, hands-on approach. In the evaluation, all participants rated the workshop positively regarding new perspectives on interdisciplinary collaboration, new contacts and the practical development of soft skills. They especially valued the small mixed teams, the rapid move from idea to prototype and the opportunity to learn from each other in a non-hierarchical setting.
Satisfaction - Details
- Strong satisfaction with interdisciplinary collaboration: All participants rated the workshop with 4 or 5 out of 5 regarding new perspectives on interdisciplinary collaboration. Feedback shows that the small mixed teams helped participants work productively across different professional backgrounds.
- High value of practical peer learning: Participants highlighted the hands-on format as especially useful because collaboration was experienced directly through making, not only discussed. The rapid process from idea to prototype supported active exchange, role-switching and shared problem-solving.
- Clear potential for repetition and transfer: All participants rated the creation of new relevant contacts or cooperation potential with 4 or 5 out of 5. Several responses indicated that similar formats could be repeated with new target groups, especially apprentices, vocational students or further R&D and industry actors.
Transfer Hints
- Use a tangible prototype challenge: Choose a simple but open product task that participants can understand quickly and complete within the workshop time. A physical prototype gives collaboration a clear focus and makes soft skills visible through action.
- Mix professional backgrounds intentionally: Bring together makers, creatives, R&D actors, companies, public-sector innovation roles and intermediaries. The value of the format comes from different working cultures meeting through a shared practical task.
- Work in small interdisciplinary teams: Keep teams small enough that everyone has to contribute actively. Groups of 2–4 people support faster coordination, peer learning and real exchange instead of passive participation.
- Keep the setting non-hierarchical: Design the workshop so participants can switch between expert and learner roles. This builds trust and helps people from different sectors collaborate at eye level.
- Include structured reflection: Short reflection moments help participants recognise which soft skills they used and how these can transfer to their own work context.
- Change the prototype task: The object does not have to be a bottle holder. Any simple, useful and open-ended product challenge can work, as long as it requires joint decisions, practical making and visible results.
- Adapt the tools and machines: The format can use CNC milling, laser cutting, 3D printing, textiles, electronics or analogue workshop tools. The core is not the specific technology, but the shared hands-on process.
- Vary the participant mix: Regions can adapt the target group to their local ecosystem, for example involving SMEs, universities, vocational schools, public administration, creatives or NGOs. What matters is that different working cultures meet.
- Adjust duration and intensity: The format can be run as a compact one-day workshop, a two-day lab or a short workshop series. Enough time should remain for making, exchange and reflection.
- Use different thematic framings: The challenge can be linked to local industry, sustainability, public space, education or community needs. A local theme makes the format more relevant without changing the basic method.
- Do not make it too abstract: Avoid turning the format into a lecture or discussion-only event. The core value comes from making something together and experiencing collaboration in practice.
- Do not skip reflection: If reflection is only added at the very end, important learning may stay invisible. Plan short moments to discuss soft skills, teamwork and transfer during the process.
- Do not invite only the usual suspects: If all participants already know each other or already believe in maker methods, the learning effect is limited. Try to mix unfamiliar profiles and include people from outside existing networks.
- Do not overload the task: Avoid prototype challenges that are too complex for the available time. A simple, feasible task creates more space for cooperation, learning and shared success.
Participant Testimonials & Impressions
Impressions
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Access the complete implementation guide and connect with the team
Contact: Jonas Titus Kerber
Email: jonas.kerber@kreativeschemnitz.de
Need more information?
Project manager:
Franziska Görmar
IfL - Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Germany
Email
This project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund.
Find more information about the x-Inno Radar project on the Interreg CE projectwebsite.
x-Inno Radar is a project of: 
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria Gmbh, 
The Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Karlovy Vary Region, 
Padova Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture, 
Creative Industry Košice, n. o., 
BSC, Business support centre, ltd., Kranj, 
Regional Development Agency in Bielsko-Biała, 
Stebo Competence Centre Community Developmentm, 
Association of Cultural and Creative Industries Chemnitz and Region (Creative Chemnitz), Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography – Germany, Otelo Cooperative