Kennisbasis research (KB)

The European Union and the Netherlands aim to become fully circular and fossil-free by 2050 and to ensure that the environmental impacts of food and materials production remain within planetary boundaries. The goal of the Biobased & Circular Society programme is to significantly reduce the use of virgin raw materials by promoting the circular use of products and by-products. Additionally, it stimulates the reduction of dependence on fossil resources through cultivation, production and processing of biobased raw materials for high-value products.

The programme supports a systemic transition from a linear, fossil-based economy to a circular bioeconomy by developing safe and environmentally friendly technological solutions, transitional pathways, social and economic innovations, assessment frameworks, monitoring and modelling tools.

Biodiversity loss and environmental degradation need to be addressed worldwide. Achieving a nature-positive future requires drastic changes in the economy, society, politics and technology.

The Kennisbasis programme Biodiversity and Resilient Ecosystems promotes pioneering, transdisciplinary research to develop innovative and sustainable solutions that address biodiversity challenges and strengthen the resilience of - both terrestrial and aquatic - ecosystems.

By harnessing advanced technology and stimulating societal transition and transformation, the programme generates practical solutions that align with national, international and EU frameworks, enabling WUR to contribute to a nature-positive future.

By 2050, the global population is expected to reach 10 billion. Feeding this larger and more urban population will require a more sustainable food production (including safe, affordable, sufficiently nutritious and culturally embedded). Addressing these challenges and achieving healthy diets within planetary boundaries will require nothing short of a global transformation of food systems.

The goals of the KB research programme Future Food Systems is to contribute to local, regional and global food systems that provide sufficient and nutritious food for everyone, in harmony with natural resources and the environment, while also meeting demand for renewable raw materials. Moreover, these food systems will need to be resilient and/or adaptive in the face of shocks and disruptions.

The programme’s mission is to advance the transition towards sustainable future food systems, driving this positive change by applying new technological, ecological and economic strategies.

Society faces major challenges associated with production methods and consumption patterns. Health problems are increasing, leading to social disadvantage and economic burdens worldwide. Climate change is exacerbating these challenges. Simultaneously, the paradox of hunger and malnutrition on the one hand and obesity on the other is a growing concern.

The Sustainable Nutrition & Health KB programme aims to develop strategic knowledge, technologies, methodologies, models and instruments that enable the development and long-term appreciation and acceptance of sustainable, healthy, safe and affordable food. It also seeks to make testing, analysis and monitoring of plant and animal resilience, health and safety faster and more efficient. In addition, the entire food system (soil-environment-plant-animal-human) is mapped in terms of food safety and health-promoting effects through the microbiome and the One Health approach.

In light of accelerating climate change and increasing competition for natural resources, WUR addresses, through, among other things, the KB-55 Climate-resilient Water and Land Use programme, the urgent need to fundamentally rethink our relationship with land and water.

The aim of KB-55 is to develop strategic knowledge and assessment frameworks for designing robust, future-proof landscapes (including marine environments). This requires:

1. understanding and predicting the drivers of changes in land and water use;
2. creating policy-support frameworks for climate resilience;
3. improving effective governance in complex multi-stakeholder environments.

A major focus of KB-55 is building knowledge and developing and testing Nature Based Solutions (NBS).

The cross-cutting theme Societal Transformation & Transition aims to bring about impactful, inclusive and sustainable change in society. It seeks to enable a transition towards sustainable systems that aligns with the strengths of the research institutes in food systems, environmental sciences, agriculture and social innovation.

By leveraging our expertise in adaptive management frameworks, co-creation with stakeholders, scaling up initiatives and behavioural change strategies, KB CC-STT aims to allow individuals, local communities, industries and policymakers to jointly develop solutions to emerging challenges. This also involves embracing new ways of working, tools and innovations.

Ultimately, we aim to drive societal change by fostering resilient and sustainable social, ecological and economic systems.

The cross-cutting theme AI & Modelling works towards value creation for society and WUR through the responsible development and integration of digital technologies and practices in research. AI, sensors, robotics and modelling are specific research areas that require specialist expertise and infrastructure (e.g. for storing big data and the computing capacity needed to train AI models). AI will drastically change the way we conduct research and how we - knowledge institutes, government, businesses and society - use research findings. This cross-cutting theme allows WUR researchers to explore and develop new digital solutions, and to build the expertise and skills needed for the responsible development and adoption of these digital innovations.

WUR distinguishes itself from other knowledge institutions by combining fundamental domain expertise with digital technologies.