CERIN89 – the Controlled Environment Research Institute – is a sister organization of Seven Steps To Heaven. Its purpose is to improve crop performance while advancing the technologies required for Controlled Environment Agriculture.

Located in the Brainport region of Eindhoven, CERIN89 operates at the intersection of plant biology, environmental control technology, and mathematical modelling.

Technology must serve plant performance
The institute is built on one central principle: technology must serve plant performance.
Indoor farming is already commercially viable for a number of crops and markets. At the same time, the biological and economic potential of controlled cultivation systems remains far from fully explored. The central advantage of indoor farming lies in control: the ability to regulate light intensity and spectrum, temperature, vapor pressure deficit, CO₂ concentration, air velocity, irrigation and nutrient supply with precision and consistency throughout crop development.

Control the right parameters
Unlike even the most advanced greenhouse, a well-designed indoor farm allows environmental conditions to be defined deliberately within the limits imposed by physics. To fully exploit crop potential, substantially deeper knowledge is required. Yield improvements depend on improved light interception, higher light use efficiency, and optimized harvest index, while the dry matter percentage must be controlled precisely at its target level.

Think also sink, not just source
Our research at CERIN89 therefore focuses on the relationships between source strength, sink capacity, quantum yield, and carbon use efficiency. Optimizing photosynthesis alone is insufficient. Yield ultimately depends on the balance between assimilate production and the plant’s capacity to convert these assimilates into structural biomass.

A roadmap for continuous improvement
Current knowledge provides a solid foundation, but important questions remain. Yields in controlled environments can still increase significantly beyond current levels. Progress will not come from one major breakthrough, but from a step-by-step approach, building systematically on lessons learned and new insights.

Research infrastructure
At CERIN89 we integrate advanced laboratories and proprietary Research Cabinets capable of measuring whole-plant gas exchange and establishing complete carbon, water, and energy balances under controlled conditions. These measurements support the institute’s core analytical framework: the Plant Balance Model, designed to quantify and analyse source–sink interactions.