“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”, is one of the beliefs at Royal Van Wijhe Verf. At the fundamental Research & Development location of this company in Groningen, students can work together with the company on the development of sustainable, innovative raw materials and additives for applications within and outside the paint industry. “We regularly have interns walking around here in Groningen, for example a chemist from the University of Groningen or an intern from the Institute for Life Sciences & Technology at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, but also from vocational education,” says Ron Hulst.
Campus Groningen: a conscious choice
It started in 2020 for Royal Van Wijhe Verf in Groningen. In that year the R&D center moved to the Campus. According to Ron Hulst, R&D Manager, Campus Groningen was deliberately chosen as the location for the new R&D center. And that choice worked out well. Campus Groningen is a hotspot and has state-of-the-art facilities. The collaboration and knowledge exchange with highly trained researchers and students from the University of Groningen and Hanze University of Applied Sciences certainly contributes to innovative and sustainable developments.”
Learn together
Ron Hulst himself was once a PhD candidate of Ben Feringa and partly because of this, he has many connections in the field. “It is nice that there is an accessible and reliable network on the Zernike Campus so that the students know where to find us. And it is nice for the students that they directly contribute to making our projects successful at Royal Van Wijhe Verf.” Colleague Janneke van der Til graduated from Hanze University of Applied Sciences and has good contacts there. “It's great that new internships always arise from this, and we are very happy with that”, says Ron Hulst. “It is important to us that – when a student knocks on our door for an internship – we actually have something to offer that student. I think it is important to give the student the right support so that he or she really learns something as an intern”.
Working together for a sustainable future
In the R&D center of Royal Van Wijhe Verf, two spin-off companies are operating: WYDO NBD and Sting Additives. “We are amongst the top three paint factories in the Netherlands and from that position we are focusing on circularity. It is important to make future-oriented products that have less impact on the environment and are also of high quality. It is of course great that as a student you can contribute to the future of our products and thus also make our products greener. So that we can continue to lead the way together!”
