Demonstrator Lab

Entrepreneurship laboratory for transforming ideas into innovative products and services

Demonstrator Lab is a learning-by-doing environment open to students, researchers and staff. Its goal is to foster an entrepreneurial culture within the Amsterdam higher education ecosystem and to boost research driven innovation. You find Demonstrator Lab at both the VU Campus and UvA Science Park Campus.

Participants enter the lab at the very early phase of the idea-to-market process. Demonstrator Lab supports their participants throughout this entire process: from forming a team, to developing a prototype. From working out the most efficient marketing strategy to find the resources needed to deploy that strategy. Participants have the opportunity to get their feet wet at no cost. Supported by a vast network, Demonstrator Lab provides them with the business tools to explore whether an idea can make it. As the saying goes, there is no failure: you either succeed or you learn.

Other incubator facilities

As a result of the IXAnext program combined with growing awareness amongst researchers from all domains, our universities have on-campus ‘incubator’ or entrepreneurship-encouraging facilities. Places where innovative knowledge and research based start-ups can thrive. They offer workspace and dedicated support, and connect students, researchers and alumni to entrepreneurial expertise, resources and a community of like-minded peers. For example:

• HvA Bachelor students have access to the HVA Venture Centre and their 10k Pre incubator program. HvA Venture Centre offers coaching and guidance in developing innovative and/ or sustainable ideas into a start-up during a 20 week program. After that they can join for instance Demonstrator Lab or AVS.
• UvA’s Amsterdam Law Hub a unique breeding ground where law education, research, entrepreneurship and society come together.
• Humanities Venture Lab at UvA, for Humanities-minded entrepreneurship