News
Latest news from the GIQS network
General Assembly: Handover in the Supervisory Board
his year's General Assembly of GIQS e.V. took place for the first time as a hybrid event after Corona-related online versions in the previous two years. Parts of the membership had come to the Versuchs- und Bildungszentrum Landwirtschaft Haus Düsse of the NRW Chamber of Agriculture in Bad Sassendorf to attend the event. Others joined digitally via video conference.
Brochure with FOOD2020 project results produced by GIQS
More than 20 cross-border innovation projects were carried out from 2018 to 2022 under the umbrella of the second phase of the INTERREG project FOOD2020. GIQS has now produced a brochure on the results of the cooperation project, presenting the wide range of funded initiatives on more than 100 pages.
Project develops mechanical soil loosening method
For one year GIQS e.V. together with the Dutch contractor De Mulder-Strijbosch had been looking for a solution for large-scale soil compaction. At the end of the cross-border cooperation, machine soil loosening is now much more efficient than manual methods.
Project analyses impacts of biological soil decontamination (soil reset)
Over a period of twelve months, a German-Dutch consortium consisting of GIQS e.V., Suolo B.V. and Loonbedrijf Seelen B.V. analysed the effects of biological soil decontamination on soil and soil life in the framework project "Exodus" of the INTERREG V A programme
FOOD2020 II: INTERREG project successfully completed
The German-Dutch cooperation project FOOD2020 – Zukunftsoffensive Lebensmittelwirtschaft – is being completed after a successful project period. Within the four-year term, 21 innovation projects and seven think tanks from the agricultural and food industry were supported with a funding budget of more than 4.5 million euros
German-Dutch consortium presents project results
Im Rahmen des deutsch-niederländischen INTERREG-Projekts BEL AIR wurden Lösungen für saubere und gesunde Luft bei Geflügelmastbetrieben getestet und entwickelt, um gesundheitlichen Gefahren durch Feinstaub- und Endotoxin-Emissionen vorzubeugen.
German-Dutch consortium worked on reduction of endotoxins
As part of the German-Dutch INTERREG project BEL AIR, which develops solutions for clean and healthy air in poultry farms, numerous sampling and air measurements were carried out by the eleven project partners.
BEL AIR: Project on endotoxin emissions from poultry houses
In the framework of the German-Dutch INTERREG project BEL AIR, solutions for clean and healthy air at poultry farms are tested and developed to prevent health risks caused by fine dust and endotoxin emissions.
New technology can prevent fruit and vegetable allergies
The Dutch company Smart Material Printing (SMP) of founder, inventor and GIQS member Dr Gregor Luthe has developed a method of processing fruit and vegetables in such a way that fewer allergic reactions occur when they are touched or consumed.
Fine dust sensors developed for extreme conditions in poultry houses
Within the BEL AIR project, a dust sensor was adapted and further developed, which can now continuously measure the fine dust concentration in the barn without any maintenance effort - an important success for the German-Dutch cooperation project.
Endotoxin dashboard developed for air quality in poultry houses
In the BEL AIR project, a cloud was set up into which all data measured in the project flow. The results of the measurements and sampling are visualised in a BEL AIR dashboard developed by Whysor.
BEL AIR project validates gentler and more reliable endotoxin test
For many years, the LAL test was the common method for analysing entotoxin samples. Within BEL AIR, however, a gentler, more sustainable and clearer analysis method has now been established with the rFC test.
BEL AIR project is expanded with new work package
An application for an extension of the INTERREG V A project BEL AIR was successful. The German-Dutch cooperation project led by GIQS e.V. had applied for funds available from the INTERREG programme in spring 2021.
TreeMania partners at “Baumpraxis” event
Four partners from the German-Dutch INTERREG project TreeMania were part of the annual "Baumpraxis" event at Schloss Dyck in Jüchen at the end of August. The one-day seminar, which was organised by the working group "Baum im Boden", dealt this year with the topic "Wurzelraum".
Website for TreeMania project launched
In the German-Dutch INTERREG project TreeMania, led by GIQS e.V. as lead partner, many of the planned activities are in full swing. Appropriately, the lead partner has now launched the project website, which documents all activities and results.
Podcast with TreeMania partner Marcel Steegh
Director Marcel Steegh from TreeMania partner Whysor B.V. is the latest guest on the Internet of Nature podcast, which was created as part of the Horizon2020 project Connecting Nature. In the eighth episode of the podcast, Marcel Steegh talks about his roots in tomato farming, his ever-changing relationship with nature, his career in the telecoms industry and how he found a new passion applying emerging IoT, sensor and Big Data technologies to better monitor the soil.
Burning Bernd launches burning ketchup on the market
Unter Begleitung von GIQS e.V. wurde mit „Burning Bernd“ pünktlich zum Beginn der Grillsaison ein neuartiges Lebensmittelprodukt auf den Markt gebracht. Der innovative Flambier-Ketchup wurde im Rahmen des INTERREG V A-Projekts FOOD2020 in einem Innovationsprojekt mit vorgelagerter Machbarkeitsstudie entwickelt. GIQS war als FOOD2020-Regionalpartner für NRW Ansprechpartner für den Leadpartner Robert Meyer Catering GmbH aus Gronau und Smart Material Printing B.V. aus Enschede.
Jubilee: 20 years of GIQS
Die Interessengemeinschaft Grenzüberschreitende Integrierte Qualitätssicherung (GIQS) e.V. feiert in diesem Jahr ein rundes Jubiläum. Sie bestand am 28. März 2021 seit 20 Jahren. Ende 2000 war GIQS aus einer gemeinsamen Idee der Universitäten Bonn und Wageningen heraus geboren worden, die eine gemeinsame deutsch-niederländische Initiative zur Verbundforschung in der Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft starten wollten.
SoilMania new GIQS member
With the beginning of 2021, GIQS e.V. welcomes a new member. Since the beginning of January, the Dutch start-up SoilMania B.V. based in Beers (province of North Brabant) has been part of the GIQS network. SoilMania is an association of four entrepreneurs who are also part of the INTERREG project TreeMania supervised by GIQS as lead partner.
Shooting for final film
At the end of August, the first day of shooting for the Food Pro·tec·ts final film took place at the Klein-Altendorf research campus. Here, the project partners came together, who have developed various innovative products under the keyword "biomass use" during the four-year project period.
Cook.3D presents prototype
The final presentation of the FOOD2020 project Cook.3D took place at the end of August, directly on the diepenring canal in Groningen, in beautiful sunshine. A total of four German and Dutch partners spent a good one and a half years working on a prototype under the umbrella of the INTERREG programme.
Fine dust measurements in poultry
Der niederländische BEL AIR-Partner DLV Advies hat Anfang 2020 im Rahmen der Aktivitäten zur Verringerung von Feinstaub- und Endotoxinemissionen eine Pilotstudie durchgeführt, bei der Feinstaub in einem Masthuhnbetrieb gemessen wurde. Mit einem neu entwickelten Sensor führte der Betrieb über vier Wochen kontinuierlich Feinstaubmessungen im Stall durch.
New trees for Krefeld
Kommunalbetrieb Krefeld (KBK) is participating on behalf of the city of Krefeld in the TreeMania research project funded by the European Union. KBK Executive Board member Helmut Döpcke, together with KBK Board member Mayor Frank Meyer, presented the INTERREG project, which is being implemented by twelve partners from the German-Dutch border region.
Food Pro·tec·ts master thesis takes 3rd place
The DLG has awarded the Wilhelm Rimpau Prize 2020 to three innovative and practice-oriented master's theses in plant production. Third place goes to Elena Zopes from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn.
Cook.3D project presents results at conference
The FOOD2020 innovation project Cook.3D initiated and supervised by GIQS is in its final stages. By the end of August, the German-Dutch consortium of four partners will develop the prototype of a kitchen robot with an integrated 3D printing process for the automatic creation of individualised food products.
Drought in cities offers opportunities for the TreeMania project
If one follows the current media coverage of the latest climate developments in the German-Dutch border region, the GIQS project TreeMania, in which sustainable methods for the breeding, planting and care of trees and shrubs in urban areas are developed with the help of digital technology, is more important than ever.
Biomass symposium at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve
The aim of the event was to get an overview of biomass and nutrient cycles in the region around Kleve and to show potentials for closing cycles.
Project partners meet at project half time
On the occasion of the mid-term of the BEL AIR project, representatives of all nine project partners met in mid-February 2020 in the Technology Centre Kleve to exchange information on the activities and progress made so far.
New project TreeMania approved
Begin December 2019, the INTERREG V A/ermn Steering Committee approved the TreeMania project with a budget of 1.5 million euros. The project is coordinated by lead partner GIQS and aims to develop innovative sustainable methods for the cultivation, planting and care of trees and shrubs in urban areas.
Steering board meeting shortly before end of project
At the end of November, the steering board of Food Pro·tec·ts met in Veghel to inform itself about the previous project activities and the planning of the remaining months until the end of the project.
GIQS organised FOOD2020 steering group meeting
Representatives of the FOOD2020 steering committee and the seven project partners met in the rooms of the Euregio on the German-Dutch border between Gronau and Enschede to discuss the results and steps achieved so far in the project.
Event “HighTech meets Biomass” successful
The farmer of the future is not only a producer of food and feed, but also a supplier of valuable raw materials for the chemical, construction, food and cosmetics industries. The importance of a recycling economy and the ever more efficient use of biogenic raw materials (biomass) are attracting more and more attention and offer opportunities for cooperation and application of (technological) innovations.
Cold plasma test equipment installed at pigsty
A German-Dutch delegation from the INTERREG project Food Pro·tec·ts visited a pig fattening farm in Horst, Netherlands, at the beginning of July, where a test installation to improve the climate in the stables was recently installed as a project activity.
Cluster managers present interim results
At the beginning of June, representatives of the six technology clusters of Food Pro·tec·ts and lead partner GIQS met at Wageningen University in the Netherlands to discuss and inform each other about the progress of the individual work packages.
General Meeting: GIQS Executive Board confirmed in office
In the presence of representatives of various member organizations and the Supervisory Board, this year's GIQS General Meeting took place at the end of May in the Technology Center Kleve. In addition to a review of 2018 and the outlook for the current fiscal year, the agenda included the elections of the Executive Board.
Project partner Gé Backus receives award from Animal Welfare Initiative
As part of the Animal Welfare Initiative, the Innovation Prize 2019 was awarded in Berlin at the beginning of April in the presence of Federal Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner. GIQS project partner Gé Backus from the Dutch company DLV Intensief Advies was one of the four winners to receive financial support.
Started: Cook.3D develops intelligent 3D food printer
The German-Dutch innovation project Cook.3D has officially started with a kick-off event. Representatives of the four cooperation partners met at the premises of the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences in Bottrop to jointly plan the next steps in the project.
First results at project halftime
In the presence of representatives of the INTERREG programme and the co-financing institutions, the current project results were presented in Venlo (Netherlands) on 18 October 2018 on the occasion of the half year of Food Pro·tec·ts.
Kick-off meeting: BEL AIR officially launched
Last Tuesday the official start of the German-Dutch cooperation project BEL AIR, funded with European funds, took place at the company of the project partner Jansen Poultry Equipment (JPE) in the Dutch city of Barneveld.
FOOD2020: Phase II officially launched
At the final event of FOOD2020 Phase I the starting signal for FOOD2020 Phase II at the German Institute of Food Technology (DIL) was given. More than 50 representatives from industry, politics and research came to Quakenbrück for the event.
FOOD2020 enters second project phase
At its April meeting in Assen, the steering committee of the INTERREG V A funding programme gave the go-ahead for the second phase of the FOOD2020 project. GIQS has been one of FOOD2020's regional partners for two and a half years and will continue to be responsible for the North Rhine-Westphalian INTERREG region in the coming years.
Workshop: Contemporary approaches for agri-food companies
Companies must respond to the increasing demands of consumers for the diversity, quality and environmental compatibility of their products. This requires technical, social and organisational innovation, which must be developed and/or implemented at company level.
Closing event of the research project MarkiT
The joint project "MarkiT" will be concluded today by the public closing event "How can an animal welfare upgrade be realised?"
EU financial framework: Future of INTERREG
EU Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger presented the Commission's proposal for the EU budget 2021 to 2027 at the beginning of May. The future of the INTERREG programme, whose current funding period will last until 2020, is also linked to future budget planning.
Presentation at the Ministry of Economics NRW
Representatives of GIQS were invited to report on the progress of the INTERREG Food Pro·tec·ts project at the end of April during a departmental meeting at the Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Innovation, Digitalisierung und Energie (MWIDE) of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
Mid-Term-Meeting Food Pro·tec·ts at Rolduc Abbey
As part of the INTERREG V A project Food Pro·tec·ts, representatives of the lead partner GIQS met with representatives of the various project clusters on 16 and 17 January 2018 for a two-day mid-term meeting at Rolduc Abbey in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. The cluster managers presented the respective interim status in their project cluster and jointly coordinated the activities in the second half of the project.
FOOD2020 feasibility study “SMART Blended Learning” launched
GIQS member Education and Qualification Alliance (EQA) officially opened its office in Ostbevern with a kick-off workshop. In the new EQA offices, the European Training Cooperative launched a project for farmers and veterinarians on 16 October 2017.
Prize for research results from the MarkiT project
At the annual meeting of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) in Baltimore (Maryland, USA), food chemist Céline Heinemann from the University of Bonn took second place in the poster competition. With her poster "Evaluation of methods for determining cleaning performances in pig stables", she prevailed against about 30 other American doctoral students in several rounds.
Workshop on sustainable food packaging materials
Packaging materials made from renewable raw materials are an interesting and sustainable alternative to PET bottles, aluminium beverage cans or polystyrene trays. The question of what contribution the food and packaging industry can make to avoiding packaging waste is addressed in the workshop "Packaging materials from renewable raw materials for food".
Second project phase of FOOD2020 requested
At the beginning of August, the Ems Dollard Region (EDR) applied for a second project phase for the INTERREG V A project FOOD2020 - Zukunftsoffensive Lebensmittelwirtschaft. The successful German-Dutch cooperation project is thus to be continued from mid-2018.
MarkiT project meeting at the Fleischwerk EDEKA Nord
At the MarkiT project meeting on 29 March 2017 in Lüttow-Valluhn, Fleischwerk EDEKA Nord GmbH provided the participating project farmers and partners with exciting insights into the processing of the NORDfrische Center after slaughter.