In this research collaboration conducted with Goethe-Institut, which is the first study of its kind, we summarize the findings based on 41 qualitative in-depth interviews, conducted by the Goethe-Institute in 2023 with Germany-based and international professionals from the field of creative and cultural sector as well as from higher education. The aim of the study is to provide a blueprint of how current technological advancements are perceived and used in the above-mentioned sectors, mapping the concepts and ideas associated with the term ‘metaverse’ by people in these fields and to find out how they see their practice connecting to it. The study also aimed to figure out the new challenges that metaverse-related technologies can bring to users (e.g. in relation to safety, education design or cultural programs) and also how they see the role of cultural institutions in creating or contributing to the design of these spaces.

We analysed the interviews and aimed to provide several topics that the interviewees touched upon, possibilities for the future and how an individual can navigate these concepts and spaces. This whitepaper addresses the creative industry and cultural professionals, higher educational professionals (teachers, program coordinators, strategists), and policymakers, as well as designers of virtual worlds, in order to provide recommendations for how these metaverse-like environments and virtual worlds can function in the field of cultural professionals and how it can help creative industry professionals and educators of the future to design more tailor-made and future-oriented, but still value-driven programs and environments for prospective audiences.