WUR’s partners in the consortium are AgroParisTech (France), the University of Bologna (Italy), the University of East Finland (Finland), the University of Hohenheim (Germany) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (Austria). ‘Each of these universities is a trailblazer in its own country in work on the bio-economy,’ says Luisa Trindade, professor at the Laboratory for Plant Breeding. She and Jeroen Ouburg of Corporate Strategy & Accounts represent WUR in the consortium.
Shaping the bio-economy
Last year, the European Commission presented an action plan for a sustainable, circular bio-economy in Europe. The university consortium wants to collaborate on shaping this bio-economy and educating the professionals of the future on it, explains Trindade. ‘For example, we can organize exchanges between the universities for students and teachers. And we are also going to collaborate on research and innovation, for instance by writing research proposals for the European Union together, and by engaging European companies in our research projects and education through our platform.’