HortINspire aims to connect global controlled environment agriculture experts
WUR has launched HortINspire, an international network connecting growers, researchers and industry partners in controlled environment agriculture.
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has launched HortINspire, an international network designed to connect growers, companies, researchers and other organizations involved in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), with an initial focus on protected cultivation. The network will be introduced June 10 during GreenTech in Amsterdam.
HortINspire aims to improve the exchange of practical knowledge, scientific research and industry experience across regions where growing conditions, technology, financing and market needs differ. WUR said the network is intended to help participants more quickly identify relevant expertise while encouraging collaboration on region-specific challenges.
Members will have access to region-specific thematic sessions, online expert discussions, networking events and an online portal where they can ask questions, share knowledge and exchange practical experiences. Membership is open to organizations and professionals involved in CEA, including growers, technology developers, knowledge institutions, government agencies, advisers and investors.
“It will be a place where growers, companies, knowledge institutions and other parties can find each other, and where valuable collaborations can emerge,” Jacqueline van Oosten, initiator at WUR Greenhouse Horticulture, said. She said WUR will contribute its expertise while also learning from experiences and solutions developed in other regions.
Van Oosten said bringing together stakeholders with different perspectives helps ensure knowledge developed for controlled environment agriculture can be applied more effectively in practice.
Learn more on the HortINspire website.