Invitation for Expression of Interest:
NL Knowledge House Living Lab initiative for sustainable food system development in Indonesia
Does your company strive for sustainable food systems? Would you like to work with professionals and students to develop your business case? Join the NL Knowledge House Living Lab initiative on Sustainable Food Systems!
We are looking for innovative Dutch and Indonesian companies, working in the field of agriculture, that are willing to collaborate and share their expertise in the Living Lab on Sustainable Food Systems.
About the Living Lab on Sustainable Food Systems
Ensuring food security is a key priority for Indonesia. The government is making substantial investments in sustainable agricultural improvements. Under the new president, Prabowo Subianto, additional resources have been allocated to accelerate agricultural modernization and strengthen food security by integrating innovative solutions tailored to Indonesia’s needs. There is a growing trend towards healthier eating, which further boosts vegetable consumption and thus puts pressure on the country to produce more and of higher quality vegetables (Agroberichten Buitenland, 2025)
Geographically, Indonesia has great potential in leading the fruit and vegetable production in Southeast Asia. However, most Indonesian vegetable growers operate on small open-field plots, typically ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 square meters, with relatively low yields. Despite a growing demand, professional greenhouse vegetable projects are only few. The market for higher quality, better tasting, sustainably produced and reasonably priced safe fruity vegetables is expected to grow in the coming years.
Currently is the ideal time for early entrants to establish local presence, invest, anchor and grow your business as investor, operator or supplier along with the development of the sector. The Living Lab on Sustainable Food Systems acts herein as a strategic instrument, combining the strengths of educational and research institutions from Indonesia and the Netherlands in close collaboration with the local community, entrepreneurs, government and the business sector. Within the nexus of agrifood-water and along the lines of the horticulture track of the Dutch economic mission to Indonesia (16 -19 June 2025), we invite companies to submit an expression of interest in support of sustainable food systems development in Indonesia.
Foster innovation in education
Your business case will form the foundation for a (digital) Living Lab – a model of student-centric research projects based on real-life societal and business issues. The group of students will be a mix of Indonesian and Dutch students. Guidance will be provided by the educational institutions and Nuffic Southeast Asia.
Turn ideas into innovative prototypes with social impact
Join the living lab if you are considering or interested to invest in Indonesia’s horticulture sector and agri-food sectors in general to become sustainable food systems. The topic of your business case to be researched by the students can cover a broad range of issues, for example:
- Smart Agriculture System: including increasing yield, the use of digitalization system,
- Circular Agriculture: introduce good agricultural practices (e.g. crop rotation, food processing, climate adaptation),
- Agri-waste: develop solutions to turn residual materials into value (e.g. from agri-plastics to tubes, drips)
- Commercial farming: calculate business models to increase livelihood of small holders
- Post-harvest: agrologostics, Agri-storage and warehousing: explore solutions for the post-harvest system and infrastructure to guarantee food security
- Water for Food: investigate nature-based solutions for water availability in support of agriculture activities
- Other topics relevant to Indonesia's national priority of ensuring food quality and safety
What is in it for you?
- Fast-track innovation in a low-cost and low-risk environment
- Access to a relevant network of various actors (local community, knowledge institutions, government, business sector)
- Gain new methods and perspectives through multidisciplinary collaboration with partner educators and students.
- Employer branding: get in contact with talented (international) students
Conditions of participation
Qualifying candidates should meet the following criteria:
- Business case should be related to Climate Adaptation, and the establishment of a Circular Agriculture as key strategic areas of collaboration between Indonesia and the Netherlands.
- Dutch companies and Indonesian companies with a link to the Netherlands can apply;
- Allocate staff capacity for progress monitoring of the business case and answering questions from students.
Deadline
Please submit your Expression of Interest by filling out this form or scan that QR Code before the deadline: 1 July 2025.
Selection process
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | Pre-selection of qualified candidates |
| Aug/Sept 2025 | Follow-up with pre-selected qualified candidates |
| Early Oct 2025 | Announcement of selected business cases |
| Nov 2025 | Start project (project duration may vary from 2 – 6 months, subject to availability of case owner and knowledge institutions) |
Are you curious to know what it means to be a case owner in the Living Lab and the benefits it can give to your business or organization? Watch this video interview with Kampung Kollektief, case owners of the first NL Knowledge House Living Lab (2024-25)
For questions about the Living Lab please contact Lotte Troost at ctroost@nuffic.nl