The governance of the CropXR institute is structured in a coherent manner that enables optimal management and swift and fair decision-making. The various governing bodies allow important checks and balances and involvement of all partners.

General Assembly

This is the highest consortium body. It consists of higher-level representatives of academic partners and industrial partners. This governance body is meant to take decisions on matters that are outside the scope of the Program Committee. The General Assembly meets at least once a year.

Program Committee

This steering body consists of representatives of academic and industrial partners and a joint representative of the applied research parties. This committee meets (at least) four times per year. Representatives of the Dutch Research Council, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature and FFAR can join the meetings as observers. The committee discusses fundamental, content and budget related topics of the institute and takes decisions accordingly.

Members Program Committee

  • Bea Pauw, NWO, Senior Program Officer (observer)
  • Ben Scheres, Rijk Zwaan, Research Manager
  • Bernard de Geus, Innovation and Implementation Gouda, Founder and Director
  • Dieuwertje van der Does, NWO, Senior Program Officer and Coordinator for Food and Agriculture (observer)
  • Henk Huits, Bejo Zaden, Manager Marker Technology & Genomics
  • Jeroen Rouppe van der Voort, Enza Zaden, Research Manager
  • Johan Hopman, McCain / HIP Consortium, Senior Director Global Potato Breeding and Variety Selection / Head of Research
  • Kathy Munkvold, FFAR, Scientific Program Director (observer)
  • Kirsten ten Tusscher, Universiteit Utrecht, Professor of Computational Developmental Biology
  • Laurens Kroon, Bejo Zaden, Head of Research
  • Magda Galindo, FFAR, Director of Grants Management (observer)
  • Maita Latijnhouwers, Ministerie van Landbouw, Visserij, Voedselzekerheid en Natuur, Senior Policy Advisor (observer)
  • Marcel Reinders, Technische Universiteit Utrecht, Professor and Scientific Director NBIC
  • Marcel van Verk, KeyGene, Vice-President Crop Data Science
  • Nick de Vetten, Dekker Chrysanten, R&D Manager
  • Nikkie van Bers, Genetwister, Head of Innovation and Application
  • Patricia de Cocq, HAS Green Academy, Directiesecretaris
  • Petra Bleeker, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Associate Professor of Plant Physiology and Signal Transduction
  • Richard Immink, Wageningen University & Research, Endowed Professor Plant Reproduction

Supervisory Board

This board has the task of supervising the Board of Directors and general course of affairs in the Program Committee. It meets (at least) one time per year and has an advising and controlling role.

Members Supervisory Board

  • Karin Metzlaff, Executive Director, European Plant Science Organisation (Brussels, Belgium)
  • Geert-Jan Houben, Pro Vice Rector Magnificus AI, Data & Digitalisation, TUD (Delft, Netherlands)
  • Dirk Inzé, Em. Professor, Ghent University; Scientific Director, Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB (Ghent, Belgium)
  • Nelleke Kreike, Lector Green Biotechnology, Hogeschool Inholland (Ede, Netherlands)
  • Martin Kropff (Chair), Fmr. Global Director of Resilient Agrifood Systems, CGIAR (Montpellier, France)
  • An Michiels, Independent Director, AgKnowledge Partnering (Ghent, Belgium)
  • Susanne Sütterlin (Observer), Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (The Hague, Netherlands) (not on the picture)

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for the daily management of the institute and the execution of the CropXR programs.

Board of Directors 

  • Auke Damstra, Technology Director
  • Hedwich Teunissen, Managing Director
  • Guido van den Ackerveken, Scientific Director

Coordinator Utrecht University

Utrecht University is the coordinator of the consortium and has delegated its tasks to the Managing Director, who is responsible for the coordination, administration and compliance.

Liaison Officers

There are three Liaison Officers for each field of use. The Liaison Officers coordinate and support the collaboration between the academic and industrial parties. They identify opportunities to evolve fundamental research into industrial applications. This is done by, amongst other things, defining the objectives for the crop or so-called satellite projects. The Liaison Officers can point the various partners to challenges and support the Board of Directors in developing the long-term strategy of CropXR.

Liaison Officers

  • Bernard de Geus (Potato)
  • Hedwich Teunissen (Ornamentals)
  • Henk Huits (Vegetables)

Advisory Boards

There are two Advisory Boards. The Stakeholder Advisory Board advises the Board of Directors on general policy aspects and aspects that directly affect societal challenges, impact and acceptance of technology and new crops. In this board people with a broad social perspective have a seat . The Scientific Advisory Board consist of renowned international experts in all scientific fields relevant to CropXR. The board advises on choices and the quality of scientific research projects.

Members Scientific Advisory Board  

  • Julia Bailey-Serres, Professor, Director, Center for Plant Cell Biology, UC Riverside (Riverside, CA, USA)
  • Klaas Vandepoele, Group leader, VIB ; Professor of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Ghent University (Ghent, Belgium)
  • Diana Horvath, President and Co-founder, 2Blades Foundation (Evanston, IL, USA)

Members Stakeholder Advisory Board

  • Eefje Cuppen, Director of the Rathenau Institute (The Hague, the Netherlands)
  • André Hoogendijk, Directeur, BO Akkerbouw (Zoetermeer, the Netherlands)
  • Mirka Macel, Lector Plant Resilience, Aeres Hogeschool (Utrecht/Almere, the Netherlands)
  • Sheila Obim, Executive Director, Alliance for Science (New York, NY, USA)
  • Maaike Raaijjmakers, Project Manager, Biological Breeding, Liveseed, Sustainable Floriculture, Bionext (Ede, the Netherlands)
  • Jim Woodhill, Honorary Research Associate, Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford (Oxford, UK)