Urban Health Farms and Botany Group partner to expand R&D campus

Indoor vertical farming company, Urban Health Farms Group, recently announced an expanded partnership with the Botany Group and the founding of The UHF Campus through the acquisition of BrightBox facilities in Venlo, the Netherlands.

The UHF Campus will be a center for education, training, and R&D, and will be a place to gather new staff at a permanent location to train under the guidance and supervision of a dedicated community of scientists, researchers, technical engineers, and growers.

Peter Korsten, CEO of Botany Group joined UHF as a partner and Chief of Agronomy. His role will include founding and running The UHF Campus in Venlo and will be supported by the experienced Botany staff through their wide range of expertise in different fields. As an established name in the industry, Botany Group carries out various innovation projects for international organizations in the crop protection industry, fertilizer industry, and suppliers for agriculture and horticulture, among others.

Along with the growing in-house expertise, UHF now has access to a variety of infrastructure, as well as a number of specialists through the Botany partnership. The acquisition of the BrightBox facilities in Venlo by UHF will create a running start for The UHF Campus.

“I am excited about the new partnership and extended cooperation, and will be challenged to set the next step in creating the market shift towards the most durable way to produce fresh food for the next generation,” Korsten said. “By joining the UHF team, I not only develop, educate and speak about this durable way of producing but also will take part in this production shift. For me, this will complete the development circle. For Botany, the partnership with UHF gives extra impetus to further develop the knowledge in the field of indoor farming and widen the scope of BrightBox activities of Botany.”

Founder and Managing Director of Urban Health Farms Bernard Sleijster is also looking forward to the expanded partnership through the Botany Group and the experience Peter [Korsten] brings as Chief of Agronomy. “For UHF, the cooperation flattens the road to integrate existing plant knowledge to create a solid agronomical backbone. The UHF Campus in Venlo is an ongoing educational possibility to create the best management and operating staff and will support the company’s ambitious expansion goals.”