Sponsors and Supporters

The organizers of the XVI Biennial IASC-Conference sincerely thank the following sponsors and supporters for their contribution to make this conference possible.

 

 

Main sponsor
in cooperation with		Agriterra Agriterra is, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, main sponsor of the IASC 2017 Conference. Agriterra was founded by the Dutch agricultural sector and provides expert advice to farmer organizations and cooperatives in developing economies, strengthens them to fight hunger and poverty, and links those organizations to Dutch businesses. Agriterra is the only organization in the world that strengthens cooperatives by using cooperative expertise and peer-to-peer advice from the Dutch agri- & food top sector and is able to do so thanks to Agriterra’s strong roots and network in the Netherlands and abroad. Agriterra’s energetic team consists of 50 motivated professionals who combine scientific thinking with a practical approach, and use this to strengthen farmer ownership and stimulate economic growth. We want to help ambitious farmers worldwide, thereby contributing to socio-economically strong and lively rural areas. Agriterra focuses on organized farmers - this approach allows us to make a large impact in up-and-coming economies: more than 20 percent of farmers in developing countries have already joined organizations to improve their economic position. The activities Agriterra deploys to support farmers’ organizations enhance and accelerate development by addressing three critical issues: (1) agricultural productivity, (2) off-farm rural employment, and (3) the empowerment of farmers. As many of Agriterra's goals are strongly related to the aims and goals of the IASC, Agriterra wholehartedly supports this conference as main sponsor. For more info on Agriterra, please visit Agriterra's website.
Sponsors & supporters
		Utrecht Convention Bureau Utrecht is the ultimate city for international meetings. Its central location and unmatched historic setting ensure that the Dom city is a logical place to meet, and Utrecht has anything and everything you might need for a successful congress your participants are sure to remember. The Utrecht Convention Bureau is your independent partner for your (next) congress in Utrecht and is committed to providing your congress or event advice.
		Rabobank Utrecht / Rabobank Foundation Standing stronger together. That's the strength of a cooperative. It is also the idea behind the Rabobank Foundation, the bank's social fund. Investing in people's self-sufficiency is the most important task of the Rabobank Foundation - not only in the Netherlands, but also far beyond it. It is the vision of the Rabobank Foundation that everyone with a desire to grow should be given the opportunity to do so. The Foundation regards the promotion of self-sufficiency as an effective tool for aid and social assistance both domestically (by offering poor and disadvantaged groups the prospect of a sustainable future as well as by supporting national organizations with funding (donations) and knowledge, aimed at creating long-term partnerships on financial resources and expertise in a variety of areas) and abroad (by helping small farmers to obtain access to financing, knowledge and markets through their cooperatives). Read more about the Rabobank, the Rabobank Foundation, and their activities via their webpage.
		Both ENDS Foundation Both ENDS is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that works towards a sustainable future for our planet, by identifying and strengthening civil society organizations (CSOs), mostly in developing countries, that come up with sustainable solutions for environmental and poverty-related issues. Building on such effective alternatives, Both ENDS creates and supports strategic networks capable of promoting social-environmental interests, at the same time directly influencing policies and promoting the vision of Both ENDS vision in prominent national and international fora. More info on Both ENDS can be found via their website
		DuurzaamDoor DuurzaamDoor is a knowledge programme for social innovation, aimed at accelerating developments towards an environmental-friendly and sustainable and helping to effectuate breakthroughs. The programme helps to organize a coherent framework of national, regional, and local initiatives through its ‘social tool kit’ and mutual learning experiences. DuurzaamDoor especially focuses on the social themes ‘energy’, ‘water’, ‘biodiversity’, ‘resources’, and ‘food’. Through networks and coalitions governments, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, researchers, and citizens’ organizations join forces in creating innovative solutions that, at first glance, seem to be unfit as ‘business case’ DuurzaamDoor stimulates, facilitates, and effectuates such initiatives, with a special focus on developments that may have extensive effects through social innovation, such as ‘corporate social responibility’, ‘integral area development’, ‘sustainable production and consumption’ en ‘educational innovation’. Read more about DuurzaamDoor on their website
		City of Utrecht Utrecht is the beating heart of the Netherlands. With a medieval city center small enough to explore on foot. Large enough to enjoy world class festivals, modern architecture, trendy shops and interesting museums. Since Roman times it is at the crossroads of just about everything, a hub for new meaningful ideas and talent. With a population that is the youngest of any Dutch city. Utrecht provides a vibrant, creative, inspirational environment for leading innovations. The city is developing from a medium-sized provincial city into a regional capital of European importance. Utrecht is the fastest growing city and the most healthy city of The Netherlands. On top of that, Utrecht is one of the most happy cities in the world according to the United Nations. Read more about the City of Utrecht via the City of Utrecht website
		Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) was founded in 1808 as an advisory body to the Dutch Government – a role that it continues to play today. The Academy derives its authority from the quality of its members, who represent the full spectrum of scientific and scholarly endeavour and are selected on the basis of their achievements. It is also responsible for fifteen internationally renowned institutes whose research and collections put them in the vanguard of Dutch science and scholarship. As the forum, conscience, and voice of the arts and sciences in the Netherlands, the Academy promotes quality in science and scholarship and strives to ensure that Dutch scholars and scientists contribute to cultural, social and economic progress. As a research organisation, the Academy is responsible for a group of outstanding national research institutes. It promotes innovation and knowledge valorization within these institutes and encourages them to cooperate with one another and with university research groups. Read more about the KNAW on their website
		Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research supports a strong system of sciences in the Netherlands by encouraging quality and innovation in science and is convicted that scientific research contributes to our prosperity and well-being and that it provides for our growing need for knowledge: for facing societal challenges, for economic development and to better understand ourselves and the world. For this, space is required for the ideas of talented researchers who, with their passion and creativity, are the driving force behind new discoveries and applications for society. Space in which collaboration across national borders and disciplines links and strengthens science. Modern science is also linked to education, to parties in society, and to the business community. Sharing knowledge and collaborating with people and organizations outside science is increasingly part of the scientist's work. This collaboration lays the foundation for innovation and for science's societal impact. NWO is committed to encouraging collaboration in the sciences, but also among scientists and stakeholders in society. By bringing parties together, by programming collaborative, aligned research and by encouraging the formation of strategy. That is why NWO funds only the best research - both curiosity-driven research and research into issues that occupy the world - for which via peer-review independent, knowledgeable experts from throughout the world are used for the assessment and selection process. NWO supports the IASC2017 conference through an Open Access-session grant.
		Casco Casco, founded in 1990 and located in the city centre of Utrecht, is an open and public space for artistic research and experiments. Casco considers artistic practice as a way of engaging with the world we live in and as an investigative, imaginative, and inventive practice. The artistic practices Casco focuses on are cross-disciplinary, open to collaboration and process driven, and traverse design, theory, and the wider social sphere. Correspondingly, Casco’s activities encompass not only exhibitions, but also research, production, applications, workshops, forums, debates, actions, performances, screenings, education, and publishing. Central to these activities is the support for artist-led projects and other collaborative initiatives, initiating long-term visionary research projects, and fostering meaningful partnerships. Above all, Casco is committed to sharing with varied publics both the process and the results of these initiatives in a variety of forms. Casco gladly supports the IASC2017 as organizer of IASC2017’s Children’s Program and as host to the Graduate meeting at IASC2017. Read more about Casco on their website
		ZLTO (Southern Agricultural and Horticultural Organization) ZLTO represents the interests of entrepreneurs working in green areas, with around 15,000 farmers and growers in the South-Netherlands. Together with them, ZLTO works to produce healthy food in an innovative and sustainable way. ZLTO supports green entrepreneurs in their daily operational business and is also their connection to other sectors and organizations for creating new opportunities for sustainable economic growth and social welfare, as well as a liaison between farmers, consumers, and people who love the countryside. Account managers and specialist market teams advise and assist entrepreneurs in the countryside with their issues, via individual advice or for setting up projects. In addition, ZLTO participates and invests in strategic activities and innovations within the food and agriculture sector that are of added value for the (future) market position of ZLTO's members. Forging partnerships with other sectors and social organizations is a primary aim. Read more about ZLTO on their website.
		Province of Utrecht The Province of Utrecht spans 144,915 hectares and consists of 26 municipalities with a joint population of 1,200,000. Utrecht is the oldest and smallest province in the Netherlands and is also one of the most densely populated. The provinces of the Netherlands represent the country's middle level of government and as such work in close co-operation both with municipalities and with the State. The province of Utrecht has a tier of government comprising elected authorities (the Provincial Council and the Provincial Executive), and employs 800 civil servants. Our province offers a unique combination of urban living options and nature. Utrecht is a green province, but has the busiest and most intensely used road network in the Netherlands. Utrecht's central railway station processes 57 million travelers each year. This is the same number of travelers that transit through Schiphol airport. The province develops appropriate policies to ensure all this remains possible.
		Regional Cooperative of Westerkwartier The Regional Cooperative was founded in December of 2013 in the region of Westerkwartier (province of Groningen, Northern Netherlands). Its members are about 450 rural entrepreneurs, organized in diverse regional rural entrepreneurs’ associations, regional schools, and universities of applied sciences – all supported by public bodies. The Regional Cooperative is partner of REFRAME, a large European cooperation project. restoring and innovating regional food chains. For more info, download the fact sheet (pdf).
		Dutch Council for Cooperatives (NCR) NCR, the Dutch Council for Cooperatives, is a cooperative knowledge center and network, for and from our members. The association has 100 Dutch cooperative members. Since 2014 membership is open for all types of Dutch cooperatives from all sectors. NCR contributes to the reinforcement of cooperative entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. NCR is the center of the debate about cooperative enterprises in the Netherlands. It’s also the place where inspiration takes place and where cooperatives meet and learn from each other. Strong supporter of the cooperative model, NCR believes in its benefits and operates on behalf of its members through professional development activities and awareness, particularly among stakeholders. Thus, it strengthens the cooperative identity and provides the necessary preparation to seize opportunities and overcome the challenges ahead. NCR is a member of Cogeca, the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the European Union, and of Cooperatives Europe; the European region of ICA. NCR is one of the founders of Agriterra which provides expert advice to farmer organisations and cooperatives in developing economies.