Collaborative work as a driving force in Brandenburg

Multiplicities organises innovation labs of collaborative working methods. COBRA stands for Collaborative Labour Opportunities in Brandenburg and is a pilot project funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the State of Brandenburg in 2013-15. The aim was to test collaborative forms of working and new partnerships in the labour market in Brandenburg's rural areas. To this end, the project initiated collaborations between graduates in the creative industries and regional companies. Over a period of 1.5 years, they solve concrete, regionally oriented problems together. The integration of creative expertise and creative working practices into the economic cycles in rural areas is a key task for the future for many companies in view of demographic challenges, a shortage of skilled labour and a lack of innovation. Together with regional and transnational partners, the format of a 'project workshop' was developed for the collaboration, which provides all participants with a secure framework for entering into new, previously unfamiliar collaborations. In the course of the project, three project workshops were carried out in the town of Guben. Joint projects (e. g. the development of new products made from metal waste materials) are the occasion for knowledge exchange, communication and common learning processes. The creative professionals provide positive impulses (innovation in companies, public events) and familiarise themselves with the city and the region. A group of graduates, who typically look for work in large cities, get to encounter potential customers, opportunities and challenges in rural areas. In this way, the project paves the way for new knowledge alliances between city and country as well as between designers and producers.