Our mission
Making should be easy to find.
MakerIndex aims to make the Netherlands’ maker culture accessible to everyone. One place to discover where you can make things, which machines are available, what knowledge is shared and how to get started.
Bring together as many making opportunities in the Netherlands as possible, describe them clearly and keep them up to date.
Why MakerIndex exists
An address alone does not tell you what is possible.
The Netherlands is full of makerspaces, workshops, courses and communities. Yet they are often hard to find online. Existing directories quickly become outdated, lack essential details or focus on a single perspective.
For makers, the differences between places matter. One makerspace might be a small community meeting weekly to experiment with an Arduino. Another might offer thousands of square metres, specialist machines and extensive opening hours. A dot on a map does not show that difference.
MakerIndex maps both places and what you can actually do there. We want to give more people the opportunity to turn ideas into something tangible.
Our technology
Keeping information current takes care.
Spot changes intelligently
We build connections to websites, social media, newsletters and available interfaces to spot changes sooner.
Human review
Technology helps us turn large amounts of information into useful suggestions. A volunteer checks the content and its source.
Update with care
Information on MakerIndex can only be updated after that review. This helps us represent each making space as accurately as possible.
Our approach to AI
A powerful tool, with people in charge.
Yes, we use AI. It is an important tool for MakerIndex, helping us process large amounts of scattered information and identify the small part that is relevant.
Our own local AI infrastructure is still in development. We aim to run our models locally as much as possible, using green energy. Once that infrastructure is fully operational, we will publish figures on its use.
Our boundary is clear: AI can search, organise and suggest, but people remain responsible for deciding what is accurate.
Organisation and structure
Prove it works first. Then build a lasting organisation.
MakerIndex is currently a website built by volunteers. We are using this stage to demonstrate its value and establish whether makers and making spaces need it.
Once that is established, we intend to place MakerIndex in a foundation. This will help the platform remain independent of individual organisations and makerspaces, present information fairly and support every maker as well as possible.
MakerIndex’s software is publicly available. Anyone can follow development, inspect the code and contribute through GitHub.
View the source code on GitHub ↗Guidance
Built independently, improved together.
MakerIndex receives coaching from Playground at Utrecht University. This guidance helps us refine the idea, test our decisions and develop the project step by step.
Playground contributes ideas and asks critical questions. MakerIndex retains responsibility for its content and editorial decisions.
How MakerIndex began
A personal frustration became a public directory.
MakerIndex was founded by Olivier van Embden. As a young maker, he found a place at the Permanent Future Lab in Utrecht where technology became accessible through play, sharing knowledge and building together.
When the Utrecht lab closed, Olivier lost his usual place to experiment. He could not find an online directory showing where he could work on his projects, so he continued on his own.
- A personal making project
Four kilograms of cardboard on the water
In 2026, Olivier built a functional kayak from cardboard, paper and a thin protective coating. Weighing four kilograms, it set the world record for the lightest functional rigid kayak.
View the world record ↗ - An unexpected discovery
Dozens of makers, close to home
He took the kayak to the Opwaarts Upcycle Festival. There, he met makers and organisations and discovered how many making spaces, skills and creative ideas the Netherlands already has.
Read about the festival ↗ - The start of MakerIndex
Olivier decided to build what he was missing
He wished he had discovered this world sooner. MakerIndex was created to help others avoid the same experience and give everyone a better way into Dutch maker culture.
Build with us
Makers make MakerIndex better.
Know a making space that is missing, spotted outdated information or want to volunteer? Let us know.