Research funding
Get inspired by ongoing research into the most pressing pre-competitive challenges for alternative protein science, and find funding opportunities for your own research.
Find research funding
GFI’s research funding database provides curated grant opportunities for alternative protein research and innovation. Learn how to use this database in this 2-minute tutorial.
Collaborations with external research projects
Learn more about how we can support research projects here. We work with a number of exciting projects innovating in alternative protein science.
Smart Protein project
This project aims to develop protein-rich foods from plants, fungi, and byproducts from regeneratively farmed organic legumes grown in Europe.
Giant Leaps
Giant Leaps develop methodology, datasets and innovations to accelerate the dietary shift towards sustainability and circularity, focussing on allergenicity, nutrition and food safety.
HealthFerm
HealthFerm is working to understand the impact of fermentation on human health and how fermentation can be leveraged to enhance the use of sustainable plant-based raw materials. It funds research exploring these topics.
ValPro Path
ValPro Path is a European Comission funded project aiming to establish a concrete pathway and necessary tools to facilitate the future European Partnership for Sustainable Food Systems, to be launched in 2024.
CARMA
CARMA (Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub) is a £12M research centre at the University of Bath, focused on scaling and commercialising cellular agriculture technologies such as cultivated meat and precision fermentation.
NextGen
NextGen is a now finished project that supported the creation of a sustainable, affordable protein supply chain, with a focus on scientific life cycles and circular approaches. The outputs of the project can be found on their website linked below.
Circalgae
Circalgae aims to develop sustainable algae-based biorefineries and products supporting the health of aquatic ecosystems for a healthy planet and people.
CellFood Hub
The CellFood Hub is a Danish project seeking to expand and support the fledgeling cultivated meat sector in Denmark.
Research grant opportunities
GFI’s research grant programme
Powered by donations from a small number of generous donors, our research grant programme funds open-access alternative protein research. Learn about the projects we’re funding and find funding opportunities for your own research.
Research grants tracker
Explore our alternative protein research grants tracker to discover insights about open-access research across Europe, including what’s being funded, who is funding it, at what levels, and more.
Investment in research and innovation is a key priority for our policy work, find out more about our policy work to boost research into alternative proteins, and check out our Global Policy Report, to see how Europe fits into the global research landscape.
Priority research areas
Advancing Solutions for Alternative Proteins (ASAP) is GFI’s database of research gaps, commercial whitespaces, technological needs, and investment priorities along the alternative protein value chain.
Latest science news
Meet the researcher: Chewing the fat about healthier plant-based foods with Andrea Araiza Calahorra
Name: Dr Andrea Araiza Calahorra Job title: Technical Director Organisation: MicroLub Alternative protein specialism: Plant-based meat A career spent analysing…
New research finds major health and environmental benefits of shift towards plant-based new and whole foods – but you wouldn’t have guessed from the headlines
A new study has found striking health and environmental benefits of replacing meat and dairy with plant-based alternatives – something…
NAPIC is the latest in an exciting string of UK alternative protein research centres – here’s a whistle-stop tour of the exciting new projects
The UK is fast becoming home to an expanding network of research centres dedicated to advancing plant-based, cultivated meat and…
Scientists team up with Copenhagen Michelin-starred alchemist chefs to unveil innovative mycelium ingredient
Scientists working with chefs at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Copenhagen have found that diners are open to eating an innovative…
Meet the researcher: Building support for cultivated meat in Italy with Alessandro Bertero
An Italian researcher has turned to the public to fund a project he believes has the potential to scale up…
Report: More than a quarter of all European alternative protein research was published last year
A first-of-its-kind analysis has revealed the rapid growth of European alternative protein research – with more than a quarter of…
UK government invests £15 million in new National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) to commercialise alternative proteins
The UK government is investing £15 million in an innovation hub to accelerate the commercialisation of plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-made…
Meet the researcher: Using biomedical insights to advance cultivated meat with Petra Kluger
Dr Petra Kluger, who moved into cultivated meat after a career in tissue engineering, says greater collaboration between scientists from…
Explore more of our science resources
Resources for students and educators
Learn more about available courses, how to get alternative proteins on the curriculum at your institution, and our Alternative Protein Project university chapters.
Open access tools and resources
Explore our library of free-to access resources on plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-made meat, seafood, eggs and dairy.
Research community
Join our community of researchers today to forge connections, find industry and academic collaborators, and learn about the latest science.
Get in touch
Stella Child
Research and Grants Manager
Stella leads our work to grow the alternative protein research ecosystem across Europe and to secure grant funding for open-access research.
