SHAPE is led by RheWaTech, a company based in Kalkar, and brings together nine small and medium-sized enterprises and research institutions from Germany and the Netherlands. Project partners such as Royal Eijkelkamp and Antonie.ai are working together on intelligent measurement and analysis systems to assess soil health. With the help of artificial intelligence and modern data analysis, a monitoring system is being developed that provides farmers with real-time information on the condition of their soil and supports them in sustainable soil management.
The visit highlighted how important cross-border innovation networks are for the development of practical solutions in the fields of agriculture, climate and water management. At the same time, it became clear how strongly projects such as SHAPE can foster regional innovation ecosystems and support companies in their development.
Soil Valley, an initiative by Royal Eijkelkamp, is increasingly developing into an international centre of excellence for soil and water technologies. Around forty partners from industry, academia and the public sector are working together there on solutions to current challenges such as climate change, sustainable agriculture and water management.
The development of the project partners also illustrates the dynamism of such collaborations: since the start of the SHAPE project, the company Antonie.ai has grown from a handful of employees to around thirty staff and expects further expansion. Royal Eijkelkamp, for its part, combines long-standing technical expertise with modern technological development.
Initiatives such as SHAPE and the close collaboration within Soil Valley are giving rise to cross-border innovative approaches for sustainable and future-proof agriculture in Europe.
The SHAPE project is being carried out as part of the Interreg VI Deutschland-Nederland programme and is co-funded with €2.2 million by the European Union, the Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat, the MWIKE NRW and the Provincie Gelderland.
Source: Interreg Deutschland-Nederland Newsletter, 26 May 2020
