UvA spin-off Panel BV receives PoC funding from Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland (IFNH) 

Panel B.V., a spin-off from the University of Amsterdam, has received a loan from the Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland. This loan will enable Panel to continue building its innovative tool for inclusive participation processes. The unique method was designed by sociologists Gerben Moerman and Christiaan Bröer of the UvA Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.  The method enables citizens and other stakeholders to jointly generate, interpret and bring together qualitative data. The Panel method ensures that at all stages of a research cycle, the quality of the various views is maintained and insights are connected. Panel received PoC funding in an earlier phase from the UvA Valorisation Fund

Panel ensures through co-creation that all points of view are taken into account during public participation processes
During public participation processes, concerned citizens often feel inadequately heard, leading to a loss of trust in government and organisations. Panel offers an innovative and effective method to counter this. The Panel method creates answers in which every participant feels heard and can identify with. This is done through ‘stacking’; participants in a participation process are given the opportunity to transparently see, interpret and categorise other people’s qualitative data. Panel thereby supports the process of co-creation of stakeholder, professionals and other participants to arrive at inclusive ways of working and approaches together.

Jeroen Ooijevaar, CEO of Panel: “As a sociologist and former alderman, I see that social developments call for a different approach to participation processes. Panel offers this approach and thereby ensures an inclusive way in which input from all participants is of value.”

Wouter Keij, Fund Manager at Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland: “Panel’s software makes an impact in different layers of various sectors. By contributing to transparency and inclusion, it effectively increases participation. This reveals new insights that connect with different groups.”

Panel connects
Panel, founded in 2021, is a spin-off of the University of Amsterdam and digital agency Unc Inc. Panel enables stakeholders to collaborate on complex issues on an equal footing. They not only provide input on issues, but work together to organise their input in such a way that it becomes useful. As a result, they learn from each other and achieve connective results together.

Innovation Fund Noord-Holland for innovative start-ups 
The Innovation Fund North Holland is an initiative of the Province of North Holland, University of Amsterdam, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC and Sanquin. The Fund supports entrepreneurs in the province of North Holland to finance innovation in the Proof-of-Concept phase by providing convertible loans. The Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland manages two funds: a fund for innovative start-ups, supported by the RVO, and a fund for academic start-ups, supported by ERDF.