24 Jan MCPIR: A Groundbreaking Collaboration to Advance Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation Across EMEA
The medicinal cannabis industry is evolving rapidly, and with it, the demand for consistent quality and efficiency in production. At the heart of this transformation is the organization MCPIR (Medicinal Cannabis Professionalization & Innovation Research), a groundbreaking five-year initiative bringing together industry leaders to create a blueprint for professionalizing cannabis cultivation.
What is MCPIR?
MCPIR offers a centralized hub for research and insights, inspired by the Dutch horticultural approach to knowledge-sharing, and powered by collaborative efforts among industry experts.
It is a coalition of leading companies in the cannabis sector, working together to elevate the standards of cannabis cultivation for licensed producers and investors. Designed as a one-stop shop for reliable, market-focused insights, MCPIR offers the critical information needed to succeed in this evolving industry. This initiative aims to foster best practices, streamline knowledge, and empower the industry with a state-of-the-art research and demonstration center that analyzes optimal growing conditions for various styles of cannabis production.
The MCPIR Network of Partners
MCPIR’s strength lies in its diverse network of experts, each contributing unique knowledge to cover every aspect of the production chain. Here’s an overview of the major partners and their contributions:
- Koppert: Experts in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), biocontrol, and protocols that enhance crop health.
- Paradise Seeds: A leader in breeding expertise, ensuring robust genetics and high-quality strains.
- Mills: Known for providing premium fertilizers and substrates to support plant health and growth.
- Delphy: Coordinating overall operations, drawing from best horticultural practices to inspire new cannabis cultivation techniques.
- BrightLabs: Providing laboratory analysis for precise testing and quality assurance.
- Cannabis-drying: Specialists in advanced drying systems to preserve potency and quality post-harvest.
- Priva: Delivers cutting-edge technology in climate control and data services, optimizing growing environments.
- Aroya: Supplies sensors and tools for managing complex watering schedules.
- SpexAI: Utilizes imaging intelligence to monitor plant health throughout growth stages.
- Can Filters: Leaders in air filtration and ventilation to ensure an optimal grow environment.
- DLVge: Experts in turn-key facility design, tailoring cultivation spaces for efficiency and productivity.
- Van Vliet | NEWWEN: Supply chain management specialists, enhancing logistics for horticulture and retail.
- Cannavigia: Provides robust software for transparency and traceability, ensuring compliance in various legal landscapes.
Together, this team facilitates comprehensive research and trials to develop best practices in cannabis cultivation that are not only market-oriented but also adaptable to diverse regulatory environments.
The Purpose Behind MCPIR
The Netherlands has a strong tradition of collaborative growth in agriculture, proving that shared efforts lead to faster learning and innovation. Applying this to cannabis production, MCPIR aims to drive the professionalization of cannabis cultivation. With the cannabis market evolving under stringent regulations, especially across Europe, MCPIR seeks to address these challenges by creating efficient, compliant, and innovative practices.
Fluence’s Role in MCPIR
Fluence brings over a decade of expertise in LED lighting for cannabis, contributing invaluable knowledge on how lighting can impact yield, potency, and overall plant health. While we have established great insights into how light affects cannabis chemistry, our involvement with MCPIR allows us to explore deeper interactions—studying how light influences growth in conjunction with other climate factors. The use of precise, equal rooms enables us to conduct controlled tests that examine the effects of different light interactions over time, offering insights that will ultimately benefit our clients.
Expectations and Future Goals for MCPIR
With a multidisciplinary team working together, MCPIR’s five-year program is uniquely positioned to yield significant advancements in cannabis cultivation. We anticipate seeing innovations that stem from real-time monitoring, lab testing, and advanced sensor technology, helping producers to make data-driven decisions for high-quality, cost-effective production. The project’s focus on practical R&D also enables producers to directly observe and apply successful techniques, driving the industry forward in EMEA and beyond.
A Catalyst for Cannabis Innovation Across EMEA
MCPIR is set to become a valuable resource for producers seeking to enhance their cannabis operations with market-proven techniques. As regulations and market demands vary between North America and EMEA, MCPIR’s role as an accelerator for knowledge and validation is crucial. This initiative provides a space to test and validate production techniques tailored to the needs of the EMEA market, enabling licensed producers to meet local demands efficiently and consistently.
Conclusion About the Collaboration
MCPIR is not only a collaboration but a catalyst for innovation in the medicinal cannabis industry. By uniting experts across production, compliance, and technology, MCPIR is paving the way for a more efficient and standardized approach to cannabis cultivation. Fluence is proud to contribute to this initiative, helping the industry move closer to real-time crop benchmarking and optimized production systems. We look forward to the breakthroughs and innovations that will set new standards for quality and efficiency in cannabis production across EMEA with the MCPIR team.
About Sabrina Carvalho
Sabrina Carvalho is a senior plant specialist for the cannabis sector since 2019. She has expertise in plant biology and ecology, plant secondary compounds, spectroscopy and light. Her experience has been applied from open field precision agriculture to vertical farming start-ups. Over the last 10 years, Sabrina has accumulated expertise in precision agriculture and indoor horticulture, specializing in Cannabis cultivation (optimizing yield and compounds for medicine) under LED lighting.