The Hortivation Foundation and TNO will jointly invest 17 million euros in “adaptive and autonomous growing systems” over the next five years. The parties agreed to digitize both the construction and operation of the greenhouse in a framework agreement on Thursday 23 February.
The basis for collaboration is the recently unveiled roadmap, which outlines seven areas of development that require pre-competition research. “This research is necessary to improve our competitive position as a horticulture supplier cluster,” says Annie van Riet, director of Hortivation. “We believe that the provision of services, such as a guaranteed number of products, is an excellent complement to the provision of technologies for horticulture
To make this possible, both the design and operation of the greenhouse must be digitized. “By focusing the entire sector on a collaborative data infrastructure, collaboration across the chain is simplified and new products and services can be developed,” Van Riet explains. According to the director of Hortivation, issues such as data exchange and the cash register for electricity play an important role in this.
Collaboration also allows for the full use of the opportunities provided by data science and artificial intelligence, and thereby increase the profitability of the sector, according to Van Riet. “In this way, the Dutch horticultural sector can continue to be a world leader.”
