The study aims to describe the new phenomenon of open workshops and to frame it within the broader processes of societal transition. Hence, the study provides a disambiguation of concepts and a review of open workshops and the maker movement: Which types of open workshops can be distinguished? Who are the main stakeholders and what are their motivations?

From the collaborative search for technical solutions to the foundation of start-ups, from the empowerment and inclusion of socially disadvantaged people to experimenting with new production methods and lifestyles of sufficiency or maybe just a nerdish tech enthusiasm – the range of motivations for joining open workshops is large. The expectations are as great as they are contradictory. The institutional arrangements will determine what role open workshops will play for the promotion of universal access to resources, empowerment, innovation and sustainability