Strip-tilling at the Farm of the Future. Photo Resource WUR has received 2.5 million euros from Ottoline Visser-Stokhuijzen’s inheritance. Lies Boelrijk, University Fund Wageningen’s director, says it is one of the largest gifts WUR has ever received from an inheritance.
‘It feels a little like winning the jackpot, ’ says Boelrijk. ‘This is a really large bequest as far as inheritances go.’ WUR is not the only university that was included in Visser-Stokhuijzen’s will. Timburg, Twente and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam each received a similar sum. The money was transferred into the respective accounts last week.
Stock market
Ottoline Visser-Stokhuijzen perished in June 2023 at the age of 93. She had been a widow for quite some time and had no children. Her assets were accrued through stock in a large company, which her grandfather acquired for the family. In consultation with advisors from ABN Amro MeesPierson, she decided that the money should be put towards scientific research.
Boelrijk is not personally acquainted with the benefactor. The woman wanted to remain anonymous. Her family agreed to make her name known only after she passed away, Boelrijk says. It is not the first donation WUR received from Ms. Visser-Stokhuijzen. She previously anonymously donated smaller sums to, among others, a water project within the Farm of the Future.
It is a huge show of appreciation for the work we are doing here
Pieter de Wolf, project leader Farm of the Future
This project focused on investigating options for the storage of freshwater below the surface in Lelystad. The water can be accessed and used in times of drought. According to Pieter Wolf (project leader Farm of the Future), the large donation will contribute to realising this project. ‘We are working on a proposal for the executive board, detailing how the funds may be spent.’
Recognition
De Wolf calls the bequest ‘very special’. noemt het legaat ‘heel bijzonder’. ‘It is a huge show of appreciation for what we have achieved with the Farm of the Future.’ He hopes the funds will also be spent on fortifying the link between WUR and the FotF. ‘For example, by investing in joint projects and the exchange of knowledge. It is important that the outside world can see that this donation is well-spent.’
The WUR University Fund receives large sums each year. In 2024, a total of 11.4 million euros was donated or bequeathed. The funds are used for numerous projects for which no regular funds are available.