RE SEARCH been bringing science and practice Are you getting a subsidy? Thie-Arend Brouwer: ‘No, we didn’t get any subsidy and we never asked for it. Right from the start, we’ve adopted the attitude that an organisation must be able to pay its own way. Otherwise, it has no right to exist. Our affiliated partners come from a branch of industry with the same attitude and they support our view. Say what you think you need and just start. We also started cautiously. If you have a limited budget, you also learn that you don’t have to overdo things to draw up a good programme. Our partners go for the contents of WPC and not for unnecessary luxury. They’re prepared to pay an amount of 2,000 euros a year for that. You get quite a lot back for it though such as four highquality knowledge and network meetings a year. In addition, six newsletters a year with exclusive trade information, access to the organisation’s own website with login and services such as access to the library of Wageningen UR, and the possibility of working and/or meeting at the PPO Westmaas research institute. to give the project new impetus. We then went back to all the companies that had approached us about setting up a potato institute. Ten businesses and institutes spontaneously offered to become a partner. And so, only six months after that particular Potato Demonstration Day, we were able to organise the very first knowledge exchange session.’ What are WPC’s objectives? Marcel Tramper: ‘Already from day one, one of the objectives of the WPC platform has been to transfer knowledge from scientific and practical studies to the trade and industry in the potato sector. The complaint is often that, after completion, research results disappear into a drawer. We want to avoid that. But the other way round is also possible, for example that ideas, questions and practical experience from businesses in our sector are included in current research. And as far as possible with the help of short lines. We aim to have the practical people on one side of the table, and the researchers on the other. How do you do that? Marcel Tramper: ‘To make this possible, we’ve started up various approaches in the past five years. First of all, we organise knowledge sessions for our affiliated partners four times a year. Our usual meeting place is Wageningen UR. In addition, we also meet at various research and practical locations in the Netherlands and, for a couple of years now, we’ve also been going out to Belgium. Two years ago, we took the initial step towards internationalisation. ‘Every expertise from the business world that’s active in the potato sector and serves the primary sector comes together in WPC.’ As a result, we now have three more research institutes as partners with which we maintain close contacts. We usually invite two speakers for a meeting. Most speakers are active as scientists or researchers. Occasionally a member works in the trade and industry sector and is then usually involved in a real-life case. We aim to have two completely different subjects at a meeting. The reason is to make a meeting interesting for all the partners, but also to discuss a wide range of current topics in the potato sector. That sounds rather serious? Marieke Ampt: ‘It is serious, but not at all boring, if that’s what you mean. All topics relate to something we’re passionate about and this means that all meetings always take place in an open and relaxed atmosphere. We sometimes discuss areas of overlap. We pick subjects that we can learn from in our own sector. For example, we delved deeper into bioplastics and the generation of energy from waste streams. Another Potato World 2015 • number 3 5 Pagina 4
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