Having been established six years ago, Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo focuses on stimulating innovations involving the themes of healthy nutrition, future farming and the bio-circular economy. Over 70 companies and knowledge institutes are currently active at the campus, accounting for a total of 800 jobs.

Vermeer: “Over the past few years, a solid foundation has been laid to make Brightlands in Venlo the physical landing site for the innovative horticultural chain in Limburg. An ecosystem is now in place that facilitates collaboration on innovative challenges between startups and scale-ups and the R&D divisions of companies and knowledge institutes. Over the coming years, we will make a major effort to further develop this ecosystem. The goal is to continue to grow the campus with the addition of even more entrepreneurs, researchers and students.”

Vermeer says that major strides will be made as early as 2024. Additional investments are being made in future-proofing the real estate on campus so that it can remain an attractive place to do business, and visible steps are being taken to strengthen the ecosystem. In 2024, Maastricht University will grow at the campus, the Future Food Experience will be built, and the new Food Concept Centre will open its doors under the name Brightlands NovaBite. To further strengthen the innovative ecosystem, the Brightlands campus will be committed to combining forces both at the campus and in the region to attract new companies and support their further development.

Source: Brightlands newsletter