News

Plus Ultra II on Wageningen Campus officially opened

Published on
November 22, 2021

On 18 November 2021 Kadans Science Partner festively opened the multi-tenant building Plus Ultra II on the Wageningen Campus. Plus Ultra II brings together a large group of entrepreneurial companies, start-ups and student-led companies and offers these companies the opportunity to grow.

Due to the current corona measures, a hybrid event was in which some of the tenants of Plus Ultra II were guests during the opening, and all other interested parties and guests could attend the opening via a live stream. With the help of a living green tree, Michel Leemhuis (CEO of Kadans Science Partner) and Constantijn van Oranje (Special Envoy of Techleap.nl) officially opened the building.

A garland of lights depicted the connection that is central to Plus Ultra II. “Kadans quickly knew that we needed to do more than just offer a space to tenants. We needed to create an environment where we could bring tenants and other organizations together. This allows for crossovers that lead to innovative and new products. Plus Ultra II is a perfect example of this,” said Leemhuis.

Different tenants during the informative programme

Viewers could enjoy several speakers. Jan Jongsma (COO of Nutrileads), Wilbert de Louw (CEO of Foodcase International) and Gerrit Smit (Managing Director of Yili Innovation Center Europe) talked about the advantages of Wageningen Campus, and the international success of Wageningen as the heart of the Foodvalley region.

Peter van der Vlugt (General Manager of Kubota) and Corjan van den Berg (CEO of FUMI Ingredients), two tenants of Plus Ultra II, spoke about the ecosystem of start-ups, scale-ups and corporates within Plus Ultra II. “That’s what makes Plus Ultra II so interesting. We share the space with other start-ups, so you can exchange experiences and learn from each other,” said Van den Berg.

Opening Plus Ultra II 2.jpg

Marjolein Brasz (Managing Director of Foodvalley NL) and Rens Buchwaldt (Member of the Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research) discussed the future of the agri-food sector, and how innovation within this sector can do its part for sustainability.

Creation as a theme

The overarching theme of the opening was ‘CREATE’. Inspired by the impressive stained glass window in Plus Ultra II. The window, designed in 1961 by well-known Brabander Marius de Leeuw, comes from the chapel of the Braacken in Vught. The window reflects the genesis, or creation. This makes the window appropriate for Plus Ultra II. Creation sums up nicely what drives companies in Plus Ultra II, the creation of new ideas, new concepts and new businesses. Plus Ultra II provides the breeding ground for those businesses to come into their own.

Plus Ultra II Wageningen

Plus Ultra II is the newest incubator and business centre of Wageningen Campus. Plus Ultra II offers space for all phases of a company’s life. The open layout of the atrium allows for plenty of light. An open atrium is a place where tenants of the building can come together. Through these meetings, innovation is encouraged as much as possible.

The opening closed with music by the oldest student jazz band in the Netherlands, the Ceresband.