The Port of Rotterdam Authority is on the lookout for ground-breaking ideas from a wide variety of start-ups with the introduction of its ‘Port Innovation Lab’ programme.
The port authority will join forces with YES!Delft, an active organisation which takes start-ups under its wing and provides them with the right support to bring their ideas into practice.
This partnership will bring together the successful approach of a professional incubator for emerging enterprises and the experience and extensive network of Europe's largest port.
There are plenty of challenges on offer for the port area. Within the port innovation lab, the search will start for the appropriate solution to connecting large and small businesses.
Read a Technical Paper on the Euromax Terminal in Rotterdam
Wouter Van Dijk, Director of Logistics at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said: “There's all sorts [of plans]. They range from plans for a new type of drone, to sensors which gather useful information on machinery, and even an entrepreneur who has a revolutionary idea for a completely new kind of railway track.
“It is also important to tell a good story. What can you do with it? What is your market? What does it solve and what will it achieve?
“The business models aside, this is an important programme for everyone working in the port: to be challenged by new ideas and to take these on.”
Teije Smittenaar, Director of Investment and Risk Management, said: “I am particularly involved in linking the port network to the start-ups, so they can quickly test their proposals in practice.
“For most proposals you see a combination of intelligent software with hardcore operational skills from offshore and shipping in general. You will therefore gain a broader look at solutions, within a rather conservative industry.”
