Kronos wants structural cooperation on innovation

The international horticulture sector cannot do without innovation. After all, the world population is growing quickly, and resources such as land, water, and energy are becoming increasingly scarce. Only through technological and sustainable innovations, sufficient healthy and affordable food can be produced with minimal environmental impact. Kronos, a unique innovation hub, was recently established in the south of the Netherlands. Here, education, government, and business come together to stimulate innovation.

Agriculture and horticulture face major challenges worldwide. On the one hand, the demand for food is growing rapidly; on the other hand, climate change is increasingly causing crop failures. In addition, labor shortage is growing. Innovative cultivation systems, climate-resilient crops, and energy-saving methods are therefore essential to continue growing crops successfully in the coming years. Consequently, it is important that sufficient innovation takes place and that this innovation continues.

At GreenTech, ‘PURE’ represents clarity and purpose in crop production. It’s about skilled professionals working with care and responsibility, applying well-considered methods within controlled environments that ensure consistency, transparency, and trust. We spotlight what truly drives innovation in horticulture. In the GreenTech monthly newsletter series, we’ll explore ‘PURE’ from multiple perspectives, bringing you fresh insights, trends, and technologies shaping the future of growing.

Realized by entrepreneurs

Kronos was therefore recently opened at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo: a new, state-of-the-art research facility where companies, researchers, and students collaborate on innovative solutions for the agriculture and horticulture of the future. Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo is a premier innovation and research campus in the Netherlands dedicated to the future of food, agriculture, and sustainability. It connects over 70 businesses, researchers, and educational institutions to develop the next generation of agriculture and healthy, sustainable nutrition. Within this framework, Kronos is the first R&D facility on campus to be fully realized by entrepreneurs themselves. 

“It is a shared facility in which various labs have been developed to innovate,” says CEO Peter Korsten of Botany, one of the initiators. The other partners are Innoveins Seed Solutions, Brightlands Campus, and HAS University. Kronos originated from the Next Generation Farming innovation project, which was initiated by these parties from the Limburg region in the Netherlands. In total, nearly €3.6 million was invested, more than half of which came from private partners. “Kronos was created based on a market need to have all facets of research and development for rapid R&D under one roof. The sustainability of European agriculture and horticulture requires higher speed to achieve all necessary goals. Kronos is intended to be a unique place on campus where applied research is conducted by multiple parties.”