Collaboration with Energy Transition Centre

On 23 November 2021, Witteveen+Bos and the Energy Transition Centre (EnTranCe) signed a strategic collaboration agreement in Groningen. Part of the agreement involved the opening of a Witteveen+Bos innovation office on the Zernike Campus in Groningen, which took place at the start of 2022. The energy transition is the central theme of the collaboration between both parties.

With this agreement, Witteveen+Bos aims to strengthen its innovation and talent chains in the energy transition. Many more experts will be needed in the coming years if the transition is to be realised, which is why we want our current and future talents to work together on knowledge development.

Innovation lines

At EnTranCe, we will be doing this within various innovation lines. In these lines, together with students, partners and clients, we will develop new solutions for energy transition issues, such as hydrogen, energy participation, energy systems and off-shore wind, the new heating law, and grid strategy. ‘For the next phase of the energy transition, we have to bring professionals and talents together in a structural way,’ explains Jimme Zoete, ambassador on behalf of Witteveen+Bos for the innovation office in Groningen. ‘By innovating and developing knowledge together, we can contribute to making this transition achievable.’

Why Groningen?

Groningen is a leader in the energy transition in the Netherlands. With 5.7 TWh of renewable electricity (2030 RES offering; >15 % of the Netherlands), Groningen has big ambitions for the energy transition in the near future. In recent years, Groningen has created an image of itself as a hydrogen hub (Hydrogen Valley), where Gasunie and others are working on a national hydrogen network. Also, the northern Netherlands forms a grid reinforcement and strategy bottleneck for TenneT, Enexis and Liander. Finally, most of the ‘gas-free neighbourhood’ pilot projects in Groningen have demonstrated that these are complex undertakings. For these reasons, we want to further develop our knowledge and talent in Groningen.

Why EnTranCe?

The innovation office is part of a strategic collaboration with EnTranCe, a centre of expertise on the energy transition. EnTranCe looks for new collaboration arrangements which increase impact, acceleration and innovation in the energy transition. According to Marcel Koenis, business development director at EnTranCe, ‘The low-hanging fruit in the energy transition has already been picked. What motivates me is the big impact we can make by employing a systems perspective together to achieve integrated solutions. This is the motivation for EnTranCe to innovate jointly with various partners.’ 

What is an innovation office?

The innovation office in Groningen is a pop-up office. Witteveen+Bos experiments with pop-up offices close to colleges, universities, innovative environments and specialist markets that are important to the organisation. In principle, these offices are temporary. They are places where Witteveen+Bos employees, students, clients and partners can meet, innovate and learn from each other in an accessible way.