Skytree, Thermeleon, Voltiris, and Fotoniq have won the Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future's ideas competition. The four scale-ups provided a joint pitch on a total concept for growers during the Dragons' Den at the World Horti Center. That concept could be demonstrated and researched in the Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future, which will be realized at the Flora Campus Westland in a few years' time. Greenport West-Holland shares the report of the afternoon below.
The municipality of Westland is developing Flora Campus Westland in the coming years. This area, around the World Horti Center, aims to preserve and strengthen regional greenhouse horticulture. Flora Campus Westland will include the Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future, where companies, the government, and students will work together on even more smart solutions for greenhouse horticulture.
The Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future will open its doors in a few years and is an initiative of Vertify, Glastuinbouw Nederland, Harry Wubben Flowers, World Horti Center, Tomatoworld and Greenport West-Holland. Tomatoworld has the ambition to accommodate its activities in the Fieldlab, and Vertify also wants to play an active role. The Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future will also cooperate intensively with the World Horti Center and other innovation hubs for greenhouse horticulture.
Experimentation space for innovations
The Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future will be an experimentation space for innovations in greenhouse horticulture. The initiators received 11 possible ideas, ranging from research into, for example, cultivation systems without drain water, a 'Knappe Koppen Academy', and an innovation center for IoT, 5G, and robotization. These ideas were pitched on 17 October during the Dragons' Den at the World Horti Center in front of a jury consisting of Martien Penning (Hillenraad Partners), Margriet Looije (Looye Kwekers), Linco Nieuwenhuyzen (InnovationQuarter) and consultant Ruud van der Vliet.
The idea of Skytree, Thermeleon, Voltiris, and Fotoniq was awarded best by the jury. The four young companies argued that innovation in the Netherlands is inhibited by the current success of, among others, the Venlo greenhouses. This, they said, makes it difficult to introduce new concepts. The Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future would therefore be the ideal space for researching and developing a new overall concept. "This is an idea that warms our hearts," jury member Margriet Looije told us.
"The pitch competition aimed to collect good ideas for the Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future," explained project leader Edwin Lambregts of Greenport West-Holland. "In the coming months, the initiators will sit down with all the submitters to examine together which of the ideas can be given a place. Among other things, we will look at feasibility, financing, and the extent to which the ideas complement each other."
'Bringing questions from outside in'
During the well-attended Dragons' Den, Maarten Steinbuch gave an inspiring presentation on the importance of open innovation. Steinbuch is a professor and entrepreneur in the field of smart mobility and robotization. He is also director of Eindhoven Engine, in which entrepreneurs and researchers collaborate on technological marvels.
"That concept is similar to the Fieldlab Greenhouse for the Future," Steinbuch said. "The trick here is to bring in questions from outside and work in a multidisciplinary way." The most important condition is the willingness to share knowledge and work together. Something the Netherlands is good at, Steinbuch concluded his presentation.
Photos: Rolf van Koppen Photography
Source: Greenport West-Holland