17-05-2017

Petra Koenders new director Green Chemistry Campus

As from June 2017 the Green Chemistry Campus has appointed a new director: Petra Koenders. The past years she led the Center of Expertise Biobased Economy. In this role she gathered extensive experience in facilitating biobased innovations. Furthermore she is familiar with the existing national and international biobased networks in the fields of administration, knowledge and business. According to the Campus' board of directors and shareholders these competencies make her particularly suitable to further develop the Campus in the years to come.

The last 5 years the Campus was led by Paul Nijskens, who is a former director of the local development agency REWIN. Under his leadership the Campus has grown into an incubator that provides a comprehensive solution for innovative biobased entrepreneurs that operate on the cutting edge of agro and chemistry. Last December, companies, local governments and the province of North-Brabant have decided to set up new partnerships and to strengthen these with new investments with the aim to further extend this success. Together with the team Petra Koenders will lead the Campus in this new direction.

Work together on a word-class biobased ecosystem

The scaling up of the Campus fits a widespread ambition to offer entrepreneurs a globally competitive biobased ecosystem in the triangle of the provinces of Zeeland, North-Brabant and South-Holland: the Biobased Delta. 

Enriching the total ecosystem as a starting point

The Campus is looking for companies who might be served by establishing themselves on the Campus ánd for companies that would enrich the total ecosystem. Because all partners within the Biobased Delta act this way, and because companies can benefit from the facilities of áll top locations, the ecosystem guarantees that companies are being serviced in the best possible way, whether on the Campus or elsewhere in the ecosystem. What's also unique is that industrial parties from the region will help the Campus to scout innovative entrepreneurs and to coach them in the field of market oriented biobased applications and technologies.

Superior facilities and incubator services

Companies that establish themselves on the Campus get access to word-class laboratories and pleasant workspaces. In the near future a dedicated entrance and a demo space for scaling up will be created to enable companies to prove that it is possible to produce a consistent product in a continuous process.

The services of the Campus aren't limited to providing physical facilities. For instance, the Campus also helps companies that are looking for substantial investments with finding a suitable solution. Furthermore the Campus facilitates knowledge development by connecting companies and knowledge institutions to each other and by working in thematic clusters and research programmes, such as the successful Shared Research Center Biorizon.

So there are more than enough developments and ambitious plans where the new director gets to work on.