The brand machinery and advanced services for the agricultural sector, John Deerehas inaugurated its first European innovation center specializing in high-value crops: the new John Deere Parla Innovation Center.
For the creation of the space, the company has enabled 3,500m2 of facilities from its corporate headquarters in Parla (Madrid), where all the agents involved in the innovation process will have a place. Leading companies in the sector, educational centers, public institutions and startups will coexist under an open innovation model.
John Deere Parla Innovation Center aims to bring together entrepreneurial initiatives relevant to the agricultural sector and promote innovation, especially in high-value crops, taking advantage of the business potential of this activity and its strategic nature for the Iberian Peninsula as a European benchmark. The center’s research will revolve especially around five axis: automation, electrification, connectivity, Artificial Intelligence and integrated agricultural systems.
Since its inauguration, the innovation center has the involvement of more than 25 entities who will collaborate to advance the path towards the agricultural industry of the future. Some of the already consolidated companies that are part of the project are: AGQ Labs, Agromillora, Azud, BASF, ID David, Metos, Teyme Group and Yara.
In the institutional field, the center has the collaboration of the Parla City Council, which will be involved to encourage entrepreneurship initiatives and converge in the attraction of public financing for the development of innovation projects.
In the chapter on startups, and through the European accelerator EIT Food, a round of selection of 15 of them that propose innovative solutions for the field and that will form part of the innovation center during its first year has already been closed.
For his part, zityhubthe technological platform that allows the reservation of work spaces on demand in a wide network of properties, will be the firm in charge of operating the John Deere Parla Innovation Center space and coordinating the different companies involved.
“The innovation center is a work space in which each of the actors involved will contribute their knowledge to develop advanced solutions at the service of sustainability and productivity in the sector. It will be a springboard for the consolidation of public-private collaboration initiatives, a talent driving center, an incubator for innovation startups, and a center for dissemination, knowledge, and technology transfer.” comments Eduardo Martínez from Ubago.
