The launch of the world’s first master’s programme dedicated to alternative proteins marks another significant step in the development of protein diversification as an academic field.

Academics behind the master’s in Alternative Protein Sustainable Value Chains at Real Centro Universitario near Madrid – part of the Universidad San Pablo CEU – plan to provide an understanding of the science behind plant-based meat and seafood, new fermentation techniques and cultivated meat and ingredients.

In addition to learning about issues like regulatory frameworks and life cycle assessments, students will hear from academics and innovators to boost their practical understanding of how to deal with the challenges and barriers these technologies face. They will also carry out internships with technology centres and alternative protein companies to gain first-hand experience of the latest trends in the sector.

The plan is to work with students from business backgrounds as well as those who have studied food science and biotechnology, producing a cohort of graduates who could go on to work for research organisations, startups or large food and ingredient companies – or launch their own foodtech enterprises. 

Growing research and teaching

The programme is being launched as growing alternative protein expertise across European universities is leading to new opportunities for students interested in studying the topic.

A first-of-its-kind analysis by the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) recently highlighted that a quarter of all academic studies examining alternative proteins (472) were published in 2023, compared with just 19 in 2010, while record public and philanthropic funding is being invested.

As the research base expands, so does the level of interest among students. GFI’s global Alternative Protein Project (APP), which aims to enable students to transform their campuses into food innovation powerhouses, has grown year-on-year since it was launched in 2020, and now includes 77 active chapters – 18 in Europe.

Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands has responded to what they call ‘growing demand from the industry for experts in this innovative field’ by launching one of the first master’s courses dedicated to precision fermentation. This will sit alongside the university’s recently-launched Cultivated Meat and Seafood and Becoming Food: Cellular Agriculture Beyond the Lab programmes.

University College Dublin has launched an Alternative Proteins for Sustainable Food Systems module as part of its Biosystems Engineering programme, while the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) runs an introductory course for students from a range of disciplines, itself designed with help from a former APP chapter.

The Technical University of Berlin’s Institute of Food Technology and Chemistry has launched a Vegan and Vegetarian Meat Alternatives module covering developments in the manufacture of plant-based meat. 

Sweden’s Lund University and the UK’s University of Greenwich feature alternative protein elements in broader food technology programmes, while other institutions across Europe are currently planning to launch educational initiatives of their own. 

New research centres

Meanwhile, the arrival of new research centres marks a significant turning point for a field that has until now been driven by private sector R&I, leading to concerns around progress-limiting issues such as companies keeping their findings to themselves and independently working on solutions to the same problem.

The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) opened its doors last year and became part of a network of four centres across the UK. The Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Spain has launched the Center for Innovation in Alternative Proteins (CiPA), and Ireland’s University College Cork launched the Centre for Sustainable Fermentation and Bioprocessing Systems for Food and the Bioeconomy (SUSFERM). 

In addition to providing new opportunities for early career researchers, these centres signal the arrival of alternative proteins as an academic field in its own right, helping drive more open-access research, democratising science and sharing knowledge to benefit everyone.

With the benefits of protein diversification increasingly recognised by policymakers, there is more need now than ever for researchers to be able to collaborate internationally and work more closely with businesses to solve the challenges that prevent these foods from scaling up and gaining mainstream adoption.

As momentum builds and students from a wide range of backgrounds increasingly choose to enter this rapidly-maturing ecosystem, there is also a growing opportunity for academic institutions to teach the food innovators of tomorrow.

A new generation of scientists, engineers and policy experts graduating from European universities could play a pivotal role in introducing tastier, more affordable products and helping build a healthier, more sustainable food system.