For BASF Vegetable Seeds the participation is of strategic importance, due to the innovations and the research concerning healthy and safe nutrition, future farming and bio-circular economy on the Brightlands Campus in Venlo. BASF is looking forward to cooperating in the field of research and development and sees possibilities for the co-creation of new vegetable concepts.  

Sharing Knowledge

BASF is globally known as one of the biggest vegetable seed companies, with their brand Nunhems®. ‘This partnership fits with our ambition to make healthy nutrition more appealing by offering vegetable solutions that are more in line with the wishes of our customers’, says Vicente Navarro, Senior Vice President of BASF Vegetable Seeds. ‘In our vision we will only be able to do this by pursuing to share knowledge and by cooperating with partners inside and outside the chain.’ The campus, which focusses on nutrition, health, new sustainable cultivation techniques and the presence of companies and knowledge institutions, offers unique possibilities to establish this.

Milestone

Saskia Goetgeluk, director of Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo, is very pleased with BASF joining as a third shareholder: “It is an important milestone for us as a campus: It enables us to further consolidate the combined innovative strengths of the business community, the government, and knowledge institutions. We have a lot to offer to each other – I look forward to working together.”

Place to be

The first shareholders are Maastricht University and the Province of Limburg: they founded Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo in 2017. Deputy Hubert Mackus, who has Agriculture, Landscape and Mobility in his portfolio, indicates that at the time the ambition to let Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo grow into ‘place to be’ in the field of healthy and safe nutrition, future farming and bio-circular economy was expressed. ‘Since then, the campus has grown considerably. We are fully committed to a successful cooperation between partners  from the government, education and business. We are pleased  that BASF is joining as a third shareholder, and sees opportunities in the field of innovation and research.’

Strong Boost

Furthermore, Joost van den Akker, deputy of the Province of Limburg with Economy, Education and Sports in his portfolio, says the connection with BASF is very important for the further development of Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo. ‘BASF’s commitment provides a strong boost to international growth of the Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo.’

Ecosystem

Shareholder Maastricht University is also very pleased with the arrival of BASF. Nick Bos, Vice President of the Executive Board of University Maastricht: ‘With BASF we have a partner in a triple helix connection that can provide a constructive and valuable addition to the total spectrum of nutrition. From a business side, a renowned company like BASF can contribute to the further development of the ecosystem that the campus wants to offer entrepreneurs, students and researchers.’

Brightlands

At Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo, entrepreneurs, scientists and students work together to research healthy and safe nutrition, future farming and the bio-circular economy. Approximately 64 companies are affiliated with the campus, as are many scientists and students from knowledge institutes such as Maastricht University, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, and HAS. Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo is part of the Brightlands open innovation community and consists of four campuses. These campuses are working on solutions to the biggest challenges in the field of sustainability and health. The four Brightlands campuses were developed at the initiative of the province of Limburg, Maastricht University and several leading companies.