Waag Society

Waag Society develops creative technology for social innovation. The foundation researches, develops concepts, pilots and prototypes and acts as an intermediate between the arts, science and the media. Waag Society cooperates with cultural, public and private parties.
Waag Society is housed in two historic monuments in Amsterdam, de Waag and Pakhuis de Zwijger.
Waag Society was founded in 1996 by Caroline Nevejan and Marleen Stikker. Stikker initiated the Digital City, the first internet community in The Netherlands. It has developed into a interdisciplinary medialab, where besides research and development there is room for experiment with new technology, art and culture. Waag Society divides its activities in five social domains: Healthcare, Culture, Society (public domain), Education and Sustainability.
Waag Society is one of the founders of Creative Commons Netherlands, the altenative licensing system that enables authors, artists, scientists and teachers to handle their copyright in a flexible way.
Waag Society has a strong focus to to let user groups participate in internet, new media and technology that otherwise have limited access. Examples are The Storytable, a multimedia table for elderly people to share stories and BoardMessenger, a tool for mentally impaired people to communicate.
In 2003, Waag Products was established to market the ideas and concepts developed by Waag Society. In 2006, the new cultural hotspot Pakhuis de Zwijger was opened, a renovated warehouse in the former Amsterdam Dock area that houses Media Guild, an incubator for creative start-ups, the Creative Learning Lab and Waag Society's Fablab. Many of the projects of Waag Society found national and internal acclaim and were awarded over the years.