CIRU – Creative Industries Research Unit

The research group is interested in both the development of business in the creative industries and the utilization of creative industry know-how and creative business models in various fields. We support cultural and creative players who want to commercialize their services and increase measurable added value.

We help industrial and service companies increase the added value of products and services, especially through design methods. Through our research and development work, we promote the growth of intangible capital in companies and communities in the region. In order to develop a growth-oriented and creative business environment, we combine creative experts and the growth needs of companies, and we facilitate the cooperation of value networks.

Leadership is important to us. We support development processes through design leadership and responsible leadership. We develop and apply new forms of leadership because the growth of excellence requires proactive and new creative leadership. Managing excellence and performance is the key to a productive and prosperous work community and the growth of intangible capital.

Our creative power and distinction emerge from living in the midst of uncertainty and imperfection, but being excited about it. We listen with a sensitive ear, come up with ideas together and experiment boldly.

The development of technology creates new business opportunities, but also challenges to change.

The development of technology creates new business opportunities, but also challenges to change. The Gamification and Service Design research group combines user-driven service design expertise with an in-depth understanding of the potential of new technology.

We have built a modern infrastructure on the Kouvola campus for the production and development of new age services. We bring knowledge from the development perspective and modern digital tools to the empathic production of user experiences.

Creative processes are our special expertise. We help the players of our multidisciplinary cooperation network to develop their products, services and business. We are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to serve users from the change in development and behavior.

Cultural well-being refers to the potential of culture and the arts to promote health and well-being. Culture promotes community, prevents loneliness and exclusion, provides stimuli, brings meaning to life, supports mental health, and maintains activity and ability to function. Cultural well-being is a phenomenon that is a broad entity formed by activities, education, development and research. The implementation of cultural well-being emphasizes the professional and long-term co-operation of arts and cultural actors with other industries.

Many of our unit’s projects utilize different art-based methods with different target groups, create opportunities for actors in the creative sector and engage in active networking and stakeholder cooperation.

Cultural well-being is a phenomenon that is a broad entity formed by activities, education, development and research.

We work with various stakeholders in the sectors of architectural heritage, cultural tourism, museums, education and cultural well-being.

As a regional developer, the Creative Industries Research Unit also participates in the preservation of cultural heritage and the resource efficient utilization of cultural environments. We develop in a multidisciplinary way, combining design thinking and the cultural environment framework. The approach is also more broadly related to urban development, the involvement of residents and the consideration of everyday environments as a resource that supports well-being and well-being.

The unit’s specialists participate, for example, in the sustainable development of the local Alvar Aalto’s building heritage in Kouvola’s Inkeroinen Tehtaanmäki and in mapping the possibilities of new use.

The Creative Industries Research Unit is an active part of a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary network, developing knowledge and design of new wood and bio-based materials. Developmental work is carried out with companies, other educational institutions, and the research units of the XAMK itself.

Student cooperation, e.g. with bioproduct design training and other research units, enables innovative material experiments to meet the evolving needs of users and the environment, as well as the refining of the use of wood and other renewable materials in welfare environments.

The intelligent and renewable use of natural resources, responsible design, and sustainable development are genuinely part of planning and creating the materials and needs for the future. The circulation of materials from the forest to the finished product, considering the entire life cycle, is the basis of sustainable well-being.

The intelligent and renewable use of natural resources, responsible design and sustainable development are genuinely part of planning and creating the materials and needs for the future.

Creativity is a key factor in learning in the changing world.

Learning is creating knowledge in cooperation with other people and not so much its transfer from one person to another. Creativity is a key factor in learning in a changing world.

Competence in the creative fields supports the development of user-oriented education. We bring the most suitable creative methods to live situations and digital learning environments as well as various hybrid models. We develop interactive creative solutions together with education professionals, students, and education leaders. In development, we combine expertise from different fields and build experiments with multidisciplinary teams.

The themes related to the development of education emphasize interaction in the digital environment and game solutions. Interaction is also essential in the implementation of inclusiveness, a deep understanding of the user experience, diversity, and support for the development of international education.