Developing and realizing an innovative concept for the Active Aging campus in two years, where students, teachers, companies, residents of surrounding Campus neighborhoods will be invited to do exercise, sports, play, meet and participate. This includes, on the one hand, providing input with regard to a mobility-friendly design from an infrastructural perspective and, on the other hand, organizing activities that contribute to Healthy Aeging of the Zernike site and the city of Groningen. It is not only about having an Active Aging campus with an iconic image, but also about the process. In the process of realization, students, teachers, researchers, companies and residents from surrounding districts will be explicitly involved. This includes hardware (physical environment / infrastructure), software (social environment) and orgware (interaction between the two).
In the context of global efforts to increase sustainability and reduce CO2 emissions in the chemical industry, bio-based materials are receiving increasing attention as renewable alternatives to petroleum-based polymers. In this regard, Visolis has developed a bio-based platform centered around the efficient conversion of plant-derived sugars to mevalonolactone (MVL) via microbial fermentation. Subsequently, MVL is thermochemically converted to bio-monomers such as isoprene and 3-methyl-1,5-pentane diol, which are ultimately used in the production of polymer materials. Currently, the Visolis process has been optimized to use high-purity, industrial dextrose (glucose) as feedstock for their fermentation process. Dutch Sustainable Development (DSD) has developed a direct processing technology in which sugar beets are used for fermentation without first having to go through sugar extraction and refinery. The main exponent of this technology is their patented Betaprocess, in which the sugar beet is essentially exposed to heat and a mild vacuum explosion, opening the cell walls and releasing the sugar content. This Betaprocess has the potential to speed up current fermentation processes and lower feedstock-related costs. The aim of this project is to combine aforementioned technologies to enable the production of mevalonolactone using sucrose, present in crude sugar beet bray after Betaprocessing. To this end, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Zuyd) intends to collaborate with Visolis and DSD. Zuyd will utilize its experience in both (bio)chemical engineering and fermentation to optimize the process from sugar beet (pre)treatment to product recovery. Visolis and DSD will contribute their expertise in microbial engineering and low-cost sugar production. During this collaboration, students and professionals will work together at the Chemelot Innovation and Learning Labs (CHILL) on the Brightlands campus in Geleen. This collaboration will not only stimulate innovation and sustainable chemistry, but also provides starting professionals with valuable experience in this expanding field.
Het kenniscentrum Health Innovation (KC HI) van De Haagse Hogeschool (HHS) wil kwetsbare groepen in Den Haag en omgeving stimuleren tot duurzaam meer en samen bewegen ter bevordering van de (positieve) gezondheid van leven en werkt hierin samen met de gemeente Den Haag en Basalt revalidatie. Het stadspark Zuiderpark leent zich bij uitstek voor het stimuleren van bewegen in de buitenruimte, maar is in de huidige vorm niet uitnodigend en voor dit doel ingericht. Ondanks de diverse beweegvoorzieningen, zoals een skatepark, speeltuin, fitplaats, sportvelden en de Sportcampus, maken te weinig Hagenaren hier nu gebruik van. In het bijzonder geldt dit voor ouderen, mensen met een fysieke beperking en bewoners van de 3 omliggende ‘krachtwijken’. Deze KIEM-aanvraag is bedoeld om een draagvlaksessie met stakeholders voor te bereiden en te organiseren. Vervolgens worden wensen, behoeften en barrières in kaart gebracht in focusgroepen eindgebruikers, met specifieke aandacht voor eigen regie, duurzame gedragsverandering en inzet van technologie. De resultaten van de draagvlaksessie en focusgroep onderzoeken, aangevuld met de expertise vanuit het KC HI en externe specialisten, leiden tot een goed onderbouwd, realistisch en haalbaar projectplan ‘Beweegvriendelijk Zuiderpark’ en de start van fondsenwerving. Hierin vormen de Sportcampus en het Zuiderpark de leer-innovatie-onderzoeksomgeving met een aantoonbare sociale en maatschappelijke impact en waarin wordt aangesloten op de ambities in de Sportnota Den Haag (2015-2030).
