Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation

What Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation does

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation (CoE CI) is an Amsterdam-based impact network and consortium connecting researchers, lecturers and students from five Dutch higher-education institutions (Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Hogeschool Inholland, Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, and Mediacollege Amsterdam, the last joining January 2026) with cultural organisations, government bodies and creative practitioners. The organisation addresses societal challenges around digital transition, sustainability, and inclusion through three program lines — Material & Experiment, Creative Methods & Artistic Research, and Media, Technology & Society — operationalised via annual Creative Innovation Calls, Verbeeldingswerkplaatsen (Imagination Workshops), the Verbeelding in Transities SPRONG research programme, and the annual Society 5.0 Festival. Its methodology backbone is a codified library of Key Enabling Methodologies (KEMs) including Emotienetwerken, Participatory Design, Civic Interaction Design, Embodied Research and Dramaturgy Design.

The portfolio of offerings comprises online courses (AI Literacy for Creative Industry Professionals, Public Values in the Digital Domain, Reimagining Nature, Insight Innovators Mastercourse), educational toolkits (Ethics Toolkit, Game Design Toolkit), creative tools ("ai, ai, ai" guide, Listening Tables), publications, podcasts (Climate Imaginaries at Sea, Restless Grounds), research projects (HeartSpace biofeedback environment, Speculative Gaze, Dark Tech Studio) and the flagship Society 5.0 Festival. Distribution is community-led and primarily free: network participation, courses for creative-industry professionals and most toolkits are offered at no charge, with the Mastercourse Insight Innovators as the principal paid offering.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial. Funding flows from public-sector arrangements between Dutch hogescholen and partner organisations, supplemented by competitive grants such as the €3.1 million URRRRRban award, the Growth Fund Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition (CIIIC), EIT Culture & Creativity, and SPRONG. Project funding is disbursed via the annual Creative Innovation Calls restricted to researchers and lecturers from the five partner institutions, with ~100 projects supported since 2020. Leadership comprises a Scientific Director (Sabine Niederer), Programme Manager (Stephanie Beckers), program-line coordinators, project developers and a communications/community/editorial team, operating under a governance board drawn from each partner institution.

Name

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation

Legal name

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation

Website

https://coeci.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation is an Amsterdam-based consortium network of five higher-education institutions (HvA, Inholland, AHK, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Mediacollege Amsterdam) that funds creative research on societal challenges through annual project calls, delivers free online courses and toolkits, and convenes the annual Society 5.0 Festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Industry Education & Research

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Creativity & Innovation Mindset (EDABAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

Keywords

• Creative industry research
• Higher education consortium
• Arts innovation research
• Design research collaboration
• Media technology studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding & Grants: CoE CI receives funding through institutional arrangements between higher education institutions (hogescholen) and public organizations. Project funding is distributed through annual Creative Innovation Calls to support research projects from partner institutions. Since 2020, approximately 100 projects have been supported.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation (CoE CI) is an impact network for the creative industry based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It operates as a consortium of five educational institutions (HvA, Inholland, AHK, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, and Mediacollege Amsterdam) that collaborate across three program lines: Material & Experiment, Creative Methods & Artistic Research, and Media, Technology & Society. The organization delivers courses, toolkits, workshops, festivals, and applied research projects aimed at strengthening the Dutch creative sector.

Product overview

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation is an impact network for the creative industry offering a portfolio of educational products and research outputs. The core offerings include online courses (AI Literacy, Public Values in Digital Domain, Reimagining Nature, Mastercourse Insight Innovators), educational toolkits (Ethics Toolkit, Game Design Toolkit), creative tools (ai, ai, ai guide, Listening Tables), workshops, and publications. Major programs include the annual Society 5.0 Festival, Dark Tech Studio for critical technology education, and research projects like Climate Imaginaries at Sea, Speculative Gaze, and HeartSpace immersive biofeedback system. The organization operates De Studio as a central hub for knowledge sharing and educational resources. All offerings are grounded in creative research methodologies and focus on societal challenges related to digital transition, sustainability, and inclusion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Society 5.0 Festival: Annual festival exploring the intersection of technology, society, and innovation from a human-centred perspective. Features talks, workshops, performances, installations, bringing together creatives, researchers, citizens, technologists, educators, designers, students, and policymakers.
• Verbeelding in Transities (Imagination in Transitions)
• De Studio
• Dark Tech Studio
• AI-geletterdheid (AI Literacy) Program

Products and services

• CoE CI Network Participation
• Material & Experiment Research Program
• Creative Methods & Artistic Research Program
• Media, Technology & Society Research Program
• Courses and Workshops
• Creative Industry Toolkits
• Creative Industry Festivals

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100 projects supported since 2020 through Creative Innovation Calls
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Mediacollege AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Mediacollege Amsterdam joined as the newest partner in January 2026. As a vocational media college with 15 creative/technical programs and 3,000 students, it brings MBO (vocational) education into the impact network alongside HBO institutions and art academies.
• Gemeente Amsterdam (Municipality of Amsterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Key partner in Verbeelding in Transities project and various societal initiatives. The municipality's Work, Participation & Income (WPI) department collaborates on creative methods for citizen engagement and employment support.
• OBA (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in OBA Next project, exploring the future of public libraries through creative methodologies. OBA Next serves as a laboratory for future visions in Amsterdam Zuidoost.
• Waag SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner exploring technology and society, including the Designing Regenerative Technologies project and involvement in the Slow AI initiative.
• AMS InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in urban living research, providing postdoc supervision for Verbeelding in Transities. Contributes expertise in urban innovation and sustainable city development.
• The BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial design workspace and hub in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. Partner in the Werk in Beeld (Work in Image) Verbeeldingswerkplaats, providing space for co-design projects with residents.
• Imagine ICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchive and museum in Amsterdam Bijlmer focused on heritage democracy. Partner in OBA Next project and Verbeeldingswerkplaats research.
• Pakhuis de ZwijgercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue in Amsterdam partnering on Verbeeldingswerkplaats activities and knowledge exchange events.
• VPRO MedialabstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for Society 5.0 Festival 2026, contributing to the event's programming and reach.
• The Social HubstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for Society 5.0 Festival, hosting the 2026 edition at Amsterdam City location on Wibautstraat.
• EIT Culture & CreativitystrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean partner supporting Society 5.0 Festival 2026 through EIT Culture & Creativity program.
• Amsterdam Smart CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner in Amsterdam's smart city initiatives, contributing to urban innovation research.
• KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing expertise on climate and environmental topics.
• RijksmuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner for heritage-related research projects.
• Universiteit van Amsterdam (UVA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing researchers and research expertise to collaborative projects.
• CreativeNLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network partner for creative industries research and policy.
• Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (Sound and Vision Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner for media and digital heritage research.
• New European BauhausstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network partner in the New European Bauhaus initiative, exploring sustainability and creativity. Multiple CoE CI institutions participate in local chapter activities.
• EIT Culture & CreativitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partner in international consortia for creative industries, including Creative Pact for Skills initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vereniging Hogescholen (Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences): Umbrella organization that defines and coordinates the Centres of Expertise program, of which CoE CI is one of ~50 active examples across societal themes. Provides governance framework and sector coordination.
• ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts): European network of art schools and universities. Highly comparable to CoE CI in bridging higher education art institutions, applied research, and societal impact agendas across Europe.
• EIT Culture & Creativity: European-level knowledge and innovation community supporting creative industries. CoE CI is a partner in EIT Culture & Creativity programming, making it a structural peer operating at EU scale.

Direct peers

• CLICKNL: Dutch top sector network for the creative industries, explicitly mentioned via CreativeNL partnership. Operates as a national network linking research, education, and creative industry stakeholders in similar fashion to CoE CI.
• AMS Institute: Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, a CoE CI partner. Conducts applied urban research with academic and societal partners, directly overlapping CoE CI's Verbeelding in Transities and urban living lab work.
• Pakhuis de Zwijger: Amsterdam cultural venue and knowledge platform listed as a CoE CI partner. Both organize programs exploring urban futures, technology, and creative practice for civic audiences.
• Waag Society: Amsterdam-based technology and society research organization explicitly listed as a CoE CI partner. Both operate at the intersection of creative practice, technology critique, and societal challenges, using methodologies like participatory design and critical making.
• Kennisland: Amsterdam-based knowledge intermediary focused on education innovation and societal transitions. Operates a similar network/ecosystem model connecting institutions, government, and societal partners for applied research.
• Imagine IC: Amsterdam Bijlmer archive/museum and CoE CI partner focused on heritage democracy. Shares the network's emphasis on participatory research and community engagement methodologies.

Emerging players

• Studio Banura: Amsterdam design/research studio working on social design and creative methodologies for societal challenges. Represents the type of emerging creative research practice that competes with or complements CoE CI's methodological offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLw7DFAaVG3rnAxZVHYhz59N7QT1D_3gZz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coeci

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation