Avebe finds fertile land at the Zernike Campus

On Thursday 13 July Coöperatie AVEBE U.A. planted the first 'potato' at Zernike Campus Groningen during the festive start to the building of the new Innovation Centre. A potato time capsule was taken as the symbolic basis for ongoing innovative development by Hans Hoekman, chairman of Avebe's Supervisory Board, and Ed Kraaijenzank, CFO, also vice-chairman of the Avebe's Board of Directors. At the new Innovation Centre Avebe, Groningen University and other companies in the agrofood sector will be working in close cooperation on research and education.

"Innovation forms Avebe's core, and we want to extract everything to be had. It's great that we'll be able to do that here in our own region, with space for research and development and opportunities for cooperation with the right partners", says Ed Kraaijenzank.

Way clear for research and start-ups Based on the design of SKETS architectuurstudio, the Innovation Centre will house a laboratory, test facilities, offices and a customer innovation centre. There will also be space for start-ups in the agrofood sector. The new location, with a gross area of approximately 7,500 m2, will be the work location of some 100 Avebe employees in R&D, Sales and Marketing. The Innovation Centre will be built by the building consortium BAM/Trebbe between Prof. Uilkensweg and De Mudden at Zernike Complex Groningen.

The new building is due for completion in the second quarter of 2018.