Every day, innovations with a real impact on healthcare, technology and sustainability are developed at Campus Groningen. Across the various laboratories on Zernike Campus, companies are working on technologies that help detect cancer, stop life-threatening bleeding and enable new materials for medical and chemical applications.
As Tim Graafsma, director Real Estate at Waarborg Vastgoed, puts it: "Lives are being saved at Campus Groningen. Not tomorrow, but today, in the laboratories of our tenants, where, for example, polymers are being developed to stop life-threatening bleeding and technologies are being created to detect cancer. It's the kind of innovation Groningen deserves to be much better known for."
This unique combination of knowledge, talent, research and specialised facilities makes Campus Groningen an ideal environment for innovative companies, from ambitious startups to international scale-ups.
For companies in biotechnology, life sciences, chemistry and high-tech, access to high-quality laboratory space is essential. Yet specialised lab facilities are often difficult to find, particularly for young companies that are not yet ready to invest in their own fully equipped laboratories.
Campus Groningen offers a wide range of laboratory facilities and growth opportunities. These include flexible R&D laboratories, cleanrooms, safety laboratories and microbiology labs, as well as fully customised research environments.
According to Jasper Schipper, commercial manager at Kadans Science Partner, success is about much more than square metres. "We believe that bringing people together accelerates innovation. That's why our buildings are designed as multi-tenant environments with shared facilities and meeting spaces where interaction and knowledge exchange happen naturally."
The needs of companies evolve as they grow. While startups often require flexible, accessible laboratory space to get started, scale-ups typically need highly specialised facilities and room for further expansion. At Campus Groningen, Kadans offers solutions ranging from ready-to-use laboratories of 25 m² in ZernikeLab to fully customised facilities in Plus Ultra Groningen, where companies can gradually expand to spaces of more than 2,000 m².
Gecco Biotech is a great example of how companies can grow within the Campus Groningen ecosystem. The company started with laboratory space in ZernikeLab and has expanded several times within the campus, adding both laboratory and office space as its business grew.
This flexibility enables companies to scale quickly without having to invest immediately in their own dedicated facilities. At the same time, they benefit from being surrounded by knowledge institutions, innovative companies and shared campus amenities.
Hugo van Beek, COO and Co-founder of Gecco Biotech: "Flexibility is essential for a growing biotech company. Campus Groningen allowed us to get started quickly and expand our facilities as our team and activities grew. On top of that, you're part of a network of knowledge, talent and innovative companies that supports your development."
According to Daan van Oldeniel, Business Developer at Campus Groningen, this combination of knowledge, community and facilities is exactly what makes the campus attractive for young innovative companies. "For many startups, building their own laboratory simply isn't feasible in the early stages. That's why accessible and flexible laboratory facilities, such as the Innolabs, are so important. Combined with the presence of knowledge institutions, an extensive network and a vibrant community of innovative companies, Campus Groningen offers an ecosystem where businesses can truly grow."
PolyVation demonstrates that world-class innovation is taking place at Campus Groningen. The company develops advanced polymers for applications in the medical and pharmaceutical industries and serves customers around the globe. Based in Groningen, PolyVation benefits from close collaboration with knowledge institutions, access to specialised analytical facilities and a strong innovation network on campus. The company's own laboratory facilities have been developed in recent years with support from the European Union through the Northern Netherlands Alliance (SNN).
Theo Flipsen, CEO of PolyVation: "The real strength of Campus Groningen lies in its ecosystem. The close connections with the University of Groningen, access to specialised analytical facilities and collaboration with other innovative companies enable us to develop and innovate more effectively."
The value of this ecosystem goes beyond the proximity of companies and research institutions: it is driven by the collaborations and connections that naturally emerge. Tim Graafsma has seen this dynamic become increasingly visible: "The campus is becoming more vibrant every year. Networking events attract more participants, new collaborations are emerging and initiatives such as joint funding applications through LIFE Cooperative are strengthening connections between companies."
The strength of Campus Groningen lies not only in its buildings or facilities, but above all in the ecosystem surrounding them. Universities, researchers, students, startups, investors and established companies all come together here, creating an environment where collaboration happens naturally.
At the same time, Groningen remains an attractive location for innovative businesses thanks to its combination of talent, available space and strong partnerships. Through international networks, companies can continue to expand beyond the region. Kadans alone operates more than seventy specialised innovation buildings across six European countries, allowing tenants to scale internationally while remaining connected to the same innovation ecosystem.
Campus Groningen demonstrates that innovation is about more than technology or scientific research. It is about creating the right environment for companies to develop, collaborate and grow, from their very first experiment to becoming internationally successful scale-ups.
Would you like to learn more about the laboratory facilities and opportunities available at Campus Groningen? Please get in touch with
Waarborg Vastgoed: Tim Graafsma (tim@waarborgvastgoed.nl)
Kadans Science Partner: Jasper Schipper (j.schipper@kadans.com)
Innolabs: Daan van Oldeniel (d.van.oldeniel@triade.umcg.nl)
Text: Campus Groningen.
Picture: lab of Gecco Biotech. Photographer: Ronald Zijlstra
