Northern Peak Awards presented to four projects

CrystalQ Group, the Wetsus Foundation, IJkdijk Foundation and the CCC projects have won the Peak Awards. The projects, which are striking in the way in which they apply know-how, innovation and cooperation, received the prize from Minister Van der Hoeven, the Queen’s Commissioner for Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe and a member of the Supervisory Committee, Mr. Robert Veenstra, in front of a large audience.

The Peaks in the Delta programme of Economic Affairs are based on a number of strong sectors per region. The economically strong sectors formulated for the North are energy, water, sensor technology and agri-business. The Koers Noord programme (Northern Course, on the road to Peaks), runs from 2007-2010.

The Supervisory Committee of the SNN, a committee of Economic Affairs representatives, the Northern business community, knowledge institutes and the government, grant the Peak Award on the basis of criteria such as innovation, appeal, cooperation with other partners, social relevance, distinction and international allure.

CrystalQ came from the SME sector, which was greatly appreciated by the jury. It is a very innovative concept with a great chance of valorisation and extra employment. The jury also judged it to be appealing due to the intensive relationship of this company with a regional knowledge institute and with a foreign company. The project is a good mix of industrial and experimental research, which makes use of (facilities at) the former Philips location and thereby contributes to a further transition in the traditionally “difficult” economic region of Eastern Groningen. Finally, the project has social relevance: It contributes to energy saving.

The Wetsus European water hub fulfils an important stimulation and networking roll for the further development of activities and the application of know-how around this unique knowledge concentration at Wetsus. Wetsus offers facilities for young companies wishing to apply know-how, as well as facilities where applications can be tested and demonstrated to potential clients. The project is all about valorisation and marketing of know-how. Wetsus also attracts knowledge based staff, due to the establishment and stimulation of educational opportunities and because of the growing number of companies becoming established in Leeuwarden. The project works as a flywheel in arriving at a full cluster for water technology. It is an effective cooperation between the regional Peaks programme for the Northern Netherlands (Northern Course, on the road to Peaks), the national Water innovation programme (innovation agents) and regional governments and financing bodies.

The macro-stability research project by the IJkdijk Foundation is a truly northern, distinctive and internationally unique application of sensor technology. It comprises a broad cooperation of regional and national parties, the project has great (international) market potential and it fulfils great social relevance, namely the creation of safety against flooding. The research is explained and illustrated by means of very visually appealing demos.

The Carbohydrate Competence Centre, an initiative by the Transfer and Liaison Group of the University of Groningen, is a cooperative agreement between large and small northern companies and regional knowledge institutes, but particularly also those outside the region (Wageningen). Carbohydrates is a specialty segment in knowledge development, offering great market opportunities for innovative new products (novel foods and future sources for the chemical industry). CCC is a strongly market oriented research project, with international allure and social relevance, mainly in the contribution towards combating obesity through sugar substitutes.