Last week the official opening of the Horti Science Parc took place in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands. The occasion coincided with the conclusion of the Working on Skills project (SaV). This five-year project has proven that the Netherlands are World Champion in horticulture.
The event took the time to look back on achievements and successes over the past five years and focused on the importance of good partnerships between government, research institutions and industry. The project has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Province of South Holland, but also through co-financing of partners in the project, the public sector and private contributions from various suppliers in horticulture.
Guided tour with VIP's
Attention was also given to continuation of the results in a new project involving Innovation and Demonstration Centres (IDC). There are currently 6 IDCs active:
IDC Energy, IDC Water, IDC Taste, IDC Robotics, IDC Bulbs and Perennials and IDC Digital Cultivation. The demonstration of sustainable solutions for the greenhouse industry is central to the IDC and the IDC's are free to visit for those interested in the sector.
The project is made possible by the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Union and a contribution from the province of South Holland.
Horti Science Parc
In the framework of globalization and the power of a collaborative horticultural sector, Jaap Smit, Loek Hermans, Ruud Braak, Aad van den Berg and Sjaak Bakker opened the Horti Science Parc.
Opening Horti Science Parc by Jaap Smit, Loek Hermans and Ruud Braak.
Other issues explored during the day were Robotics, Model-based cultivation and cultivation systems, followed by a guided tour to the sites of the Working on Skills project and to the Innovation & Demo Centres at GreenQ and Wageningen UR
Greenhouse Horticulture.