How do you prevent food waste of goose meat? How do you track invasive crayfish using AI? And how do you ensure hospital patients eat healthier? These are not easy questions. But the Province of South Holland believes the best answers arise when government and entrepreneurs truly collaborate, not from behind a desk, but side by side.

What is Startup in Residence Intergov?

Startup in Residence Intergov (opens in new window) (SiR Intergov) is a national program connecting governments and innovative entrepreneurs. The Province of South Holland is one of seven government partners. The approach is concrete: civil servants formulate a societal challenge for which no ready-made solution exists yet. Startups and SMEs respond to that challenge and get to work. For five months they receive guidance, access to the organization, and the space to develop and test a prototype or pilot. This way government and entrepreneur learn from each other, and solutions that really work in practice arise.

Five months building tomorrow

This edition, the Province of South Holland collaborated with four innovative entrepreneurs on various themes:

  • Smarter WOO-proof writing

    Together with UTF.ai (opens in new window) the province is developing a smart addition in Word. This tool helps employees write documents that comply with the Open Government Act (WOO). The tool provides direct feedback in the text. This saves time and helps with an open and transparent government.

  • Circular food chain for goose meat

    With GansGewild (opens in new window) the province is working on a sustainable food chain for goose meat. The initiative brings hunters, farmers, processors, hospitality and consumers together. This prevents waste and creates a circular market that also contributes to biodiversity.

  • AI detection of crayfish

    Together with Datacadabra (opens in new window), Water Board of Schieland and the Krimpenerwaard and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, the province is working on a new way to detect crayfish. Using underwater cameras and AI, the animals can be automatically recognized. This provides better insight into their distribution and allows measures to protect biodiversity and water quality.

  • Healthy food in hospitals

    With The Food Directors (opens in new window) the province is developing the BEUKK platform. This platform connects growers directly to hospitals. Hospitals see exactly which products are available and where they come from. This way patients get healthier meals and the regional food chain becomes stronger.

Demo Day – from idea to impact

The Demo Day is the closing event of the Startup in Residence Intergov program. After five months of collaboration, the 16 teams present the solutions they have developed together for various societal challenges.

During the afternoon, two thematic pitch rounds take place. Visitors can choose which themes they want to attend, divided into:

  • Safety and enforcement
  • Health and social domain
  • Sustainable living environment
  • Data and public AI

In the pitches, entrepreneurs and civil servants share their results, insights and next steps for their innovation. The afternoon ends with a networking reception. Here visitors and participants can talk to each other, exchange ideas and explore new collaborations to further innovations.

Curious about the results or collaboration opportunities with SiR Intergov? Reserve your ticket for the Demo Day here (opens in new window)

Date: Thursday, March 26, 13:15
Location: The Social Hub – The Hague

More information: www.intergov.nl (opens in new window)