News

Sharing is the future

Published on
September 23, 2022

How can we make optimal use of the shared Research Facilities of WUR and other organisations on Wageningen Campus and beyond? That was the topic of the Finding Answers Together (FAT) session on 22 September, which was held live. WUR employees and employees from other research institutes, companies and organisations on Wageningen Campus discussed this topic.

These parties have the ambition to share research facilities and equipment and jointly invest in new technology. Sharing enables us to accelerate and stimulate new ideas and technological developments.

Sharing knowledge, expertise and talent

Petra Roubos, Manager of Shared Research Facilities of Wageningen University & Research, discussed WUR’s strategy regarding Shared Research Facilities and talked about the options for collaborations, knowledge transfer and new businesses, and access to scientific expertise and talent. Her motto is ‘Sharing is the future’. Anna Blok, Ecosystems manager at the Unilever Foods Innovation Centre, shared Unilever’s experiences and challenges on using and sharing research facilities on the campus.

Broad, low-threshold and safe access

In addition to research institutes, businesses and organisations on or outside of Wageningen Campus, start-ups and medium and small businesses also need advanced equipment and amenities such as lab facilities, kitchens, greenhouses, pilot facilities etc. But, are all these parties sufficiently aware of all the possibilities? There is still plenty of work to do in stressing the advantages of shared use and shared investments and the importance of broad, low-threshold and safe access to facilities. Sharing analyses and the availability of a pool of operators were also discussed. The session yielded some valuable insights on the various aspects.

Accessible research facilities

Wageningen University & Research and Foodvalley NL make state-of-the-art research facilities accessible to researchers from universities, research institutes and businesses on or outside Wageningen Campus.

Advanced research equipment and facilities for innovative research often call for considerable investments. Not only for the realisation and maintenance but also in developing the knowledge and expertise required for its use. These investments can be of added value to many. WUR Shared Research Facilities can support such investments.

Research equipment and facilities are increasingly used to their full capacity by researchers from WUR, Wageningen Campus, and elsewhere through collaborative projects. And the range is increasing. Thanks to the increasing number of joint investments in state-of-the-art equipment and the increasing number of parties prepared to share their equipment and facilities with third parties.

Interested in the possibilities?

Contact the WUR Shared Research Facilities team