European parliament member Tom Berendsen visits Rodenburg and Sidestream Innovation Valley for ‘glimpse into the future
Tom Berendsen, a Member of the European Parliament and lead candidate for the CDA, visited West Brabant on May 13 during a working visit for a 'glimpse into the future' of the region. The visit was centered around the Regional Deal, the innovative, plant-based strength of West Brabant, and its intersections with Europe. The Region West Brabant (RWB) organized the working visit for MEP Berendsen.
Aldermen and steering committee members of the Regional Deal, Jeroen Bruijns (Breda) and Clemens Piena (Oosterhout), Curio’s chairman Rob Neutelings, and entrepreneur Thijs Rodenburg welcomed Berendsen for a brief tour of West Brabant. Berendsen was introduced to Side Stream Innovation Valley (SSIV) in Oosterhout and an associated startup “Rodenburg Tony Starch”. Afterward, the group visited a training location of Curio, where Berendsen and the leaders spoke with a student about robotics applications in the agro-food sector and the ‘Smart Farming‘ project. In this project, Curio and Avans University of Applied Sciences collaborate with companies and organizations in the region to further develop robotics applications.
MEP Berendsen is impressed by what is happening in the region, he notes. “In Brabant, we know how to find our neighbors. That is our strength. Government, companies, and organizations work together to achieve the best results for the region. Very impressive. I will take this back to Brussels as an example of how it should be.”
Innovative business and education
SSIV is a location where new, biobased products are developed from plant materials and residual streams. By applying knowledge and skills from education, the company and educational institutions contribute to the plant-based strength of the region. Education also plays an important role by preparing young talent for the labor market of today and the future, including learning to work with high-tech applications, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
MEP Tom Berendsen receives a West Brabant screen print as a token of appreciation for his visit to the region. From left to right: Clemens Piena, Rob Neutelings, Tom Berendsen, Jeroen Bruijns, and Thijs Rodenburg.
West Brabant in Europe
With the visit, the leaders and RWB aim to better highlight the innovative, plant-based strength of West Brabant in Europe to representatives of the European Parliament. The region also needs frameworks, such as European legislation and regulations, to stimulate plant-based initiatives. Consider themes like fair pricing and equal agreements between European countries. Berendsen also used his visit to discuss these topics with those present and explore where there might be opportunities or connections for the region to pursue.
What can the Regional Deal mean? Innovation, applied technology, and transitioning to plant-based, biobased applications are important pillars within the Regional Deal that the national government will conclude with West Brabant. By collaborating, education, businesses, municipalities, and other organizations can tackle these transitions. The Regional Deal projects contribute to addressing these transitions and establish connections between government, business, and education. SSIV and Curio are also involved, through projects, in the new Regional Deal.
More information: https://www.west-brabant.eu
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