New: theme prize 'Robotisation and Digitisation

Alongside the Entrepreneur Prize, this year will also see the awarding of the ‘Robotisation and Digitisation’ theme prize. With this additional award, the Horticulture Entrepreneur Prize is rewarding new innovations and developments. 

Good employment practices are playing an ever more important role throughout the sector because many companies are experience a shortage of labour and there is less inflow and horticultural training. We are seeing that the move towards the robotisation and digitisation of processes gives rise to  benefits in two areas: the quality of the work and the appeal of the sector. We want to reward the developers and pioneers in the sector with this extra theme prize. We are thereby highlighting this development even more.

The theme prize is for entrepreneurs across the whole sector. This means the best development and innovation in robotisation or horticulture digitisation for glasshouse horticulture, arboriculture, fruit, outdoor vegetables, flower bulbs or bulbs. We are looking for innovations that are at a fairly advanced stage of development or innovative products that have not been on the market for very long. The innovation should be  tested and validated in a relevant environment (TRL8 and higher). Participants can be (supply) companies in their own sector, but companies outside the agricultural/horticultural sector are also warmly invited to apply for the theme prize.