The VIB Agro-Incubator, the hub of innovative crop development for sustainable agriculture

On October 19, VIB opens its new Agro-Incubator in the presence of the Flemish Minister of Innovation and Agriculture Hilde Crevits. The high-tech facility aims to make its resources and knowledge available to agribusinesses and researchers, to build sustainable agricultural applications together.

The VIB Agro-Incubator has all the facilities to conduct high-quality research on diverse types of crops. The greenhouses are equipped with high-tech instruments enabling controlled growth and simultaneous monitoring of plant development. Among other things, scientists can determine the light and watering conditions in which the plants grow. Cameras and measuring devices are used to calculate important agronomic parameters such as seed yield. On-site labs allow these observations to be linked to molecular data. Such a combinatorial approach creates a detailed understanding of the regulation of plant growth under changing conditions. On top of that, the adjacent field is available for field trials to confirm findings from the lab and greenhouse.

The VIB Agro-Incubator is located at the former CropDesign site (BASF) and is being modernized by VIB, in collaboration with ILVO, the Flemish Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries, and Food Research. Both institutes will run the site together, each bringing their expertise. This initiative is supported by the Flemish government as part of their recovery plan, an ambitious investment to reinforce local economy thereby striving towards a durable society.

Research for climate resilient agriculture

This infrastructure allows researchers to examine how plants react to, for example, prolonged periods of drought, and how the plant can become more resilient. For example, there is currently a collaboration between VIB and the Meise Botanical Garden to gather information on the drought tolerance of beans, a crop representing the main component in the diet of millions of people worldwide. The partnership will test a collection of 200 wild bean varieties for drought resistance. Merging the observations of plant growth under different watering regimes with molecular data provides clues about which genes in the plant DNA are responsible for drought resistance Once the underlying mechanisms that determine plant growth during drought are unraveled, the findings can be translated to other food crops such as maize or soy and contribute to climate-sustainable solutions.

A biotope for collaborations

One of the facility’s primary partners is Inari Agriculture, a growing agtech start-up focused on building nature-positive solutions that enhance crop productivity for a more sustainable food system. Awarded the 2020 Newcomer of the Year Trophy by Flanders Investment & Trade, Inari is combining predictive design and multiplex gene editing to accelerate the development of improved crops that require less fertilizer and water for increased yields. Company experts are using the Agro-Incubator greenhouse to grow and test plants developed at the company’s Ghent-based R&D site.

“Knowing VIB is as committed to transforming the global food system as we are at Inari makes them an ideal partner,” says Fred van Ex, vice president of R&D at Inari and managing director of the Inari site in Ghent. “Meeting the ambitious objectives of the European Union’s Farm to Fork strategy will require solid public-private partnerships with advanced technology and facilities. The combination of Inari SEEDesign™ technology and the VIB Agro-Incubator offers exactly that.”

The strategic location in the center of the Flemish agribiotech cluster in Ghent will lead to unique collaborations between research centers and companies. The common goal is to develop innovative agricultural solutions. Besides projects with known players such as SESVanderHave and Inari, towards improving sugar beet and maize cultivation respectively, VIB wants to make the technology and knowledge of the Agro-Incubator accessible to start-ups.

Providing accommodation and support to young entrepreneurs allows them to position themselves in the plant biotech sector. More than ever, the focus lies on climate adaptation and mitigation, crop protection, and innovative digital agricultural technologies.

“SESVanderHave is proud to collaborate with the VIB Agro-Incubator using state-of-the-art technology to improve sugar beet for the agricultural challenges ahead,” says Hendrik Tschoep, R&D director at SESVanderHave.