It was a very good opportunity to get to know the context in which Lab Crigen is operating and in what ways it is different and similar to the context I know at Laborelec.
To wrap up the experience, attendees take part in a fun and insightful quiz covering what they’ve learned. The winners receive a coveted “Golden Ticket” — a unique opportunity to spend one day in another R&I entity of their choice, encouraging cross-pollination of ideas and perspectives.
My name is Lara Vissers and I am working as a project engineer in the Renewables, Storage and Decentralised Flex (RSDF) department at Laborelec. I am working on projects related to the performance of our operational solar plants on the one hand and topics regarding sustainability and end of life of our plants on the other hand.
I was eager to get to know the activities within the whole context of R&I better because I think there might be lot’s of synergies. Specifically on the sustainability topic in solar and battery storage I was already working together with colleagues from Lab Crigen, so it was the ideal opportunity to meet them in real life and have a chat. Furthermore, I think it is always super interesting to see stuff happening in practice, so I was very eager to discover the Hall and pilot installations related to the topic of H2, which I didn’t know very well before.
The visit to the hall is quite impressive, with lots of different set-ups and installations. I thought it was particularly interesting to see the solar-assisted electrolysis set-up as it taps into my daily work at Laborelec a little bit.
It was a very good opportunity to get to know the context in which Lab Crigen is operating and in what ways it is different and similar to the context I know at Laborelec. This is key for any collaborative project between different entities.
I knew very little on the topic of H2 before, so it was very interesting to get a view on the context from an expert perspective. It is clear that there is still some way to go for this technology to be fully adopted, but it is interesting to see how Lab Crigen is contributing to taking these steps forward.
Yes, as I said earlier, it was very good for the day-to-day interaction with the colleagues. In fact, they have been visiting Laborelec in the meantime, so we had the chance to exchange even more.
Definitely, although the technologies or topics you are working on might be very different, often challenges and learning opportunities are quite common and valuable lessons can be learned from each other.
I think it would also be interesting to follow someone in a managerial position to understand the variety of topics they are dealing with daily, and have an insight in how decisions are made within our organization.
Grab the opportunity with both hands, and choose a topic you know very little on but are extremely interested in. We have lots of knowledgeable experts who can give you a crash course in no time.
Lara’s Golden Ticket experience shows how stepping into a different R&I environment can spark fresh insights, strengthen collaboration, and broaden perspectives. It’s a simple initiative with powerful impact — proving that innovation grows when we connect beyond our usual boundaries.
