The Lepaa competence cluster’s innovation incubator enables the creation of innovations in the horticulture sector
At Häme University of Applied Sciences’ Lepaa campus, a competence cluster is being developed to enable the piloting of research and development ideas aimed at circular economy innovations in the horticulture sector, in collaboration with companies and other stakeholders. A significant share of the nutritional value of Finnish food comes from horticultural production. Through its activities, the competence cluster seeks to address challenges related to the sustainability and profitability of production.
In the future, we will need to adopt more new, responsible circular economy and horticultural solutions. For example, we are researching the replacement of peat in growing media, increasing self-sufficiency in fertilizers, and the suitability of side streams from other production sectors for such use. We are currently piloting an innovation incubator that strengthens and integrates the network’s expertise based on research-based knowledge. At the same time, we enable the matching, testing, and further development of companies’ needs and ideas.
Join the activities!
We are looking for more companies connected to the horticulture sector to join the activities, particularly those focused on primary production, growing media, or fertilizer production, as well as companies that produce, utilize, and process various side streams. Educational and research organizations, as well as municipalities, associations, and organizations, are also welcome to participate and share their expertise.
In the monthly expert group of the innovation incubator – the ParastusPaja – ideas that are brought forward are evaluated and guided toward the most suitable development pathway. After the experimentation phase, ideas identified as having development potential can be further advanced as part of companies’ own business and R&D activities, as paid research services provided by HAMK, or within research projects.
A distinctive strength of Lepaa’s competence lies in its multidisciplinary expertise. Experts come not only from plant biology and horticulture, but also from fields such as soil microbiology and chemical analytics. Practical testing environments for research and development include greenhouses located on the Lepaa campus, a vertical farming container, and fields. More detailed analytics from experiments are available through the laboratories at HAMK’s Hämeenlinna university centre and from bioeconomy specialists.
HAMK Lepaa Campus – Competence Cluster for Circular Economy and Horticulture
The innovation incubator activities and the development of the Lepaa competence cluster are linked to the ongoing HORTIANNA – Competence Cluster for Circular Economy and Horticulture project, which is co-funded by the European Union.
Further information:
Päivi Vartiainen
Communications and Marketing Specialist, RDI
