BrightBox Venlo - Philips Horticulture

Successful opening of BrightBox Venlo

A high-tech horticultural facility with international attraction

May, 2015

The ‘BrightBox’ research and education centre has officially opened in the Innovatower, in the southern Dutch town of Venlo. In this ultra-modern horticultural facility it is possible to influence all the factors that affect the growth of a plant: light, air, temperature, feed, water and soil. This is the first European project where multi-layered production research into all of these factors can be carried out on a commercial scale. Above all, BrightBox, is the first step in the transformation of the former Floriade site into a knowledge landscape for the Brightlands Greenport Campus Venlo.

What is the BrightBox?

This research and education center in the field of high-tech horticulture is the result of cooperation between Botany, HAS University of Applied Sciences, Philips Horticulture LED Solutions and the Dutch province of Limburg. In climate rooms in the impressive white ‘box’, plants are being grown without the influence of natural factors. The company Cogas Zuid from Asten-Heusden in North Brabant has been responsible for constructing these impressive facilities.

BrightBox consists of two research rooms and one production room. Education, research, small and medium enterprise and government come together to collaborate in and around this new horticultural expertise facility.

BrightBox offers a unique possibility of taking small-scale research of just a few square meters and completely up-scaling this into a full-scale production area. Furthermore, the open character of the BrightBox sets it apart, as the knowledge and research results generated from the Box are proactively shared with entrepreneurs, by means of events, publications and educational programs.

Opening

Meiny Prins, Managing Director of Priva, Michel Jansen, Managing Director of Total Produce, and Professor Raoul Bino Mangining, Director of Wageningen UR, addressed the guests at the symposium held to mark the official opening of the horticultural facility. They outlined the changing world and the role horticulture is playing.

They presented some of the current developments in the Dutch retail and food industry, and discussed how added value can be created from research and the insights and knowledge this generates (also known as valorisation): how can we make sure this knowledge actually leads to economic stimulus?

Following the symposium, Provincial Councillor, Twan Beurskens, Dick Pouwels, Chairman of the Board of Governors of HAS University of Applied Sciences, Hans de Jong, CEO of Philips Electronics Benelux, and Peter Korsten, Managing Director of Botany, carried out the official launch.

Flying start

Although BrightBox has only just opened, there has already been considerable interest in the innovative concept. Several international entrepreneurs have already signed up to take a look inside the BrightBox, and discuss the possibility of getting involved.

Contact information BrightBox

Go to BrightBox’ website

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