During the opening of the Techport Innovation Centre on 31 May, five Just Transition Fund (JTF) projects were given the stage, including strategic HR from Techport. The project leaders gave a short presentation of their project after which they accepted the JTF grant cheque. A total of about 15 million euros in grants was awarded that day.
Aad Schoorl, alderman in Heemskerk municipality, presented the cheques to the company Blue Heart Energy. They make a new variant heat pump: Blue Heart Engine. He also gave the cheque to the Robotisation fruit and vegetable processing project of the company ZTI. Aad Schoorl: "It is precisely the diversity of the innovations that surprises me and makes me happy. IJmond is more than just an industrial region."
Phoenix Metals, AE Group and Techport received their cheques from Brigitte van den Berg, alderman in Beverwijk municipality. Phoenix Metals will extract the chemical element vanadium from steel slag with project Vanadium Electrolyte. AE Group is developing the PilotWaveHexapod to use wave energy from water. And Techport is developing a Strategic HR project for SMEs. Brigitte van den Berg: "This region is one of doers. It is precisely this mentality of not talking but doing that gives it so much innovative power."
