Press release
Unilever Foods Innovation Centre to be located on the Wageningen Campus
Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the number one research institution in its domain, welcomes the decision of Unilever to locate its new global Foods Innovation Centre on the Wageningen Campus. After a global search the Wageningen Campus has proven to be the best location for Unilever because of its concentration of leading research centres, both private and public, on one location. The arrival of Unilever will only further strengthen the agri-food innovation eco-system in Wageningen.
Dutch food companies are globally leading when it comes to innovative research based solutions in the field of food production. Over ten percent of the GNP in the Netherlands is produced by the agri-food companies and over 600,000 people work in the sector. This is the result of comprehensive cooperation between government, business and research institutions over the past decades.
Through shaping an innovation eco-system on the Wageningen Campus WUR expects to open up new horizons for sustainably feeding an increasingly urban world. ‘It will enable the Dutch agri-food sector to remain frontrunner in its field’, says dr. Tijs Breukink, executive board member of Wageningen University & Research.
Breukink is leading the development of the innovation campus-ecosystem and has been the linking pin in talks between Unilever and WUR. He emphasizes that diversity is important for a vibrant innovation eco-system: ‘The presence of academic and applied research, start-ups and established companies in combination with shared cutting edge facilities makes for an inspiring green environment and creates critical mass for a vibrant innovation oriented community.’
WUR has worked with a dedicated team consisting of the municipality of Wageningen, the province of Gelderland and Oost NV in the route that led to the Unilever decision to build its global Foods Innovation Centre in Wageningen. All parties involved will ensure that Unilever can meet its intention to open up the new facility by the second quarter of 2019.
Through shaping an innovation eco-system on the Wageningen Campus WUR expects to open up new horizons for sustainably feeding an increasingly urban world. ‘It will enable the Dutch agri-food sector to remain frontrunner in its field’, says dr. Tijs Breukink, executive board member of Wageningen University & Research.
Breukink is leading the development of the innovation campus-ecosystem and has been the linking pin in talks between Unilever and WUR. He emphasizes that diversity is important for a vibrant innovation eco-system: ‘The presence of academic and applied research, start-ups and established companies in combination with shared cutting edge facilities makes for an inspiring green environment and creates critical mass for a vibrant innovation oriented community.’
WUR has worked with a dedicated team consisting of the municipality of Wageningen, the province of Gelderland and Oost NV in the route that led to the Unilever decision to build its global Foods Innovation Centre in Wageningen. All parties involved will ensure that Unilever can meet its intention to open up the new facility by the second quarter of 2019.