Photo: Sebastiaan Berendse
Berendse currently works for the consultancy firm KplusV, where he advises companies, provinces and municipalities about innovation. One innovation programme he led was for the Kiemt foundation, the network of biotechnology companies in Overijssel and Gelderland. His team also supported 50 companies in forming a consortium, in order to develop new products with partners. This led to 17 million euros in investments, more than 300 jobs and financing for new activities in the east of the Netherlands.
Now Berendse wants to help WUR with valorization. Asked what that means for a scientific institution, he replies: ‘There was a nice example in the last Resource. The patent on the Crispr technology shows how you patent fundamental knowledge and valorize it together with partners.’ How he will valorize knowledge on the Wageningen campus is something Berendse first wants to discuss with his new department. That department will be created over the coming months as part of a reorganization of several departments including Education, Research & Innovation (ER&I).