SAXONY!visit project: Making Makerspaces - International Exchange on Crossinnovation

Information and objective

The project focuses on operators from the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, France, Japan and Saxony, with a particular focus on the newly established maker hubs in the region and cooperation aspect in the Culture and creativity branch.

Makerspaces are key hubs for innovation, education, knowledge transfer and crossinonvation as well as social participation. 

At the same time, many sites – particularly new initiatives – face structural challenges:

• sustainable use and continuity
• viable funding models
• long-term governance structures
• the role of local authorities, businesses and public partners
• cross-sector innovation
• cooperation with industry

OBJECTIVE
The aim of the project is to facilitate a structured exchange of experiences between established national and international operators and emerging maker hubs and players of the creativity industry in Saxony. The focus is on different operational models and collaboration with research and industry, with a view to effectively advancing cross-innovation approaches from the cultural and creative sectors. The aim is to consolidate international partnerships and expand cross-border cooperation.

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SUPPORT and FUNDING
This event is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxony state parliament. The client in this context is the Saxony State Ministry of Economics, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection, which supports the project. The event is part of a "SAXONY!visit project". The project is being coordinated by Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH (Saxony Trade & Invest Corp.). Maker e. V. was entrusted with the implementation and support.

Agenda

Thursday, June 25, 2026: Site visits & practical discussions, visits to regional maker hubs, co-working spaces and places of creativity 

• Neonworx / Kraftwerk Mitte
• Markthalle Dresden
• Baumwollspinnerei Leipzig / SpinLab
• Networking event at FunkenSPACE Chemnitz

Friday, June 26, 2026: Further visits and explorations

• Buntspeicher Zwönitz
• Pi Rope Chemnitz
• Holzkombinat Chemnitz
• Get-together and reflection of the day at vectorlab Chemnitz

Saturday, June 27, 2026: International Symposium as part of the makers united festival.

• Morning: makers united festival
• After lunch: Symposium - Exchange on governance, financing, operation and further development of makerspaces + cooperation with companies and cross innovation with the industry  etc.
• Evening: Networking at makers united festival

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RELATED EVENTS & MORE: Synergies with and arising from events such as the Saxony State Prize for Design and the MACHN Festival BETA-conference will be utilized.

1. Several companies and projects from Saxony State Prize for Design are going to be incorporated into the program concept.
    
2. MACHN is a two-day business festival in Leipzig, June 3 - 4,2026
   MACHN will be the event for people who want to rethink marketing, leadership, start-up culture and innovation in Eastern Germany. Saxony Trade & Invest Corp. recommends to visit MACHN Festival for Tech, Business & Art in Leipzig on your own. There will be a chance to meet people from the local creativity and culture branch and show cases of the winner and nominates of the Saxony State Prize for Design. You can attend several sessions with keynotes; speakers from business & tech, science & the creative scene; panels; workshops; an exhibtion and an AI barcamp.
    
3. BETA-Conference, September 24, 2026
   A meeting place for creative professionals from across Saxony to develop new perspectives together, discuss pressing issues facing the sector and strengthen collaborations. The focus is on three key themes: artificial intelligence, self-directed working environments, and perspectives beyond the sector. Through keynote talks, panel discussions and practical workshops, these themes will be explored from multiple angles, offering new insights and concrete starting points for participants’ own work.
    
4. Branch network “Kreatives Sachsen”
   Are you interested in News from and for the cultural and creative industries in Saxony? - Then get in contact to the network “KREATIVES SACHSEN”.
    
5. Saxon-Czech Innospace: For a midterm perspective to built up and intensify a crossborder cooperation, a so-called INTERREG project will start soon. The project aims to create a cross-border innovation ecosystem for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Saxony-Czech border region, utilizing the cultural and creative industries (CCI) to ensure the region’s long-term competitiveness. This SAXONY!visit project will help to built up first contacts in that matter.