“On campus, we are close to the action”

Can you briefly describe HZPC?

“HZPC is the international leader in the field of potato breeding. This year, we are celebrating our 125th anniversary. The company has its roots in Friesland, where we are still located. The head office, where over 200 people work, is in Joure, and a state-of-the-art R&D building has just been opened in Metslawier, near Dokkum. But we have offices all over the world.”

What does the Wageningen team at HZPC do?

“Our bioinformatics team consists of four employees. Our main task is processing DNA sequencing data. The sequencing of genomes is performed elsewhere, but the measurements are stored in the cloud. We then carry out the complete data analysis.”

Why did you choose to open an office on Wageningen Campus?

“We’ve been wanting to do this for some time. The presence of WUR was decisive. We are close to students here, and these are our potential employees and interns. All the bioinformaticians we hired have studied here, and they might not have been willing to move to Friesland.

Colleagues who have an appointment in Wageningen can also use an office here for the rest of the day. Finally, being here allows us to hear about important developments, from new startups to the latest innovations in the field of breeding. In short: we wanted to be on the inside.”

How are things on campus?

“It's great in every way. We were unlucky with the timing, because the COVID pandemic actually cancelled out the advantages of this location. But then it really came to life again. We interact with various other companies on campus, and I think the number of startups has really increased since StartLife. That’s wonderful.”

What does that interaction with other organisations on campus look like?

“Our neighbour in Plus Ultra II is RADICLE Crops, which works on quinoa breeding. We sometimes exchange information with them: what are you running into; how do you approach things? We also have contacts with the OnePlanet Research Center, about sensors, for example.

On top of that, we participate in partnerships, including TKI projects. We are part of Holland Innovative Potato (HIP) and CropXR, which will start soon. WUR and other breeders also participate in this. And we are in contact with the NPEC (Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre). We are not using their facilities yet, but we could do so in the future.”

What does the future of HZPC look like?

“I hope we will grow, as a company and in Wageningen. At the moment, we are becoming increasingly aware of data-driven breeding. The future is bright there. I therefore expect that we will bring in more people who can perform data analyses. They don't have to be in Friesland, they can work in Wageningen. We will also continue to follow other developments, such as AI, sensors and drones. These are all fields in which Wageningen is very active.”