VIC Sterksel is a national pig innovation centre in the Netherlands. The centre has been very successful in developing concepts for the 21st century by translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions in the area of livestock farming systems, nutrition, genetics, animal welfare, and the impact of domestic animals on the environment.
To What Does the Centre Owe Its Success?
VIC Sterksel was founded in 1969 and their research effort is still ongoing. The key ingredient of VIC Sterkel’s success is the consortium formed at the foundation and the adaptive response throughout the innovation process.
The Players
The main players are the Dutch farmer organisation united in the Producers Organisation for Pig farmers (POV) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Public –Private program).
Also, VIC Sterksel has a partnership of more than 60 companies (small, middlesize and large) and about ten other partners including education centres on associate, BSc, MSc and Ph.D-level, national and local governments and NGOs such as the Animal Protection Organisation. Furthermore, pig farmers are actively involved.
The innovation process takes place in a collaboration between actors, partners and VIC Sterksel’s team of approx. 10 research assistants and animal care takers who are supported by (senior) researchers of Wageningen UR Livestock Research and Wageningen University.
The Challenge
The main challenge for VIC Sterksel is to develop innovations that find their way to an (inter)national market for pig production.
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