Last month, the UN declared that there is no realistic pathway left to prevent global warming from exceeding the Paris Agreement’s 1.5ºC threshold. This summer’s heatwaves cost the EU 12 million tonnes of crops, and now we’re being warned that a stronger El Niño could have repercussions for global food security. It’s a stark reminder of why we do this work, and why your support of GFI matters now more than ever.
Here are a few things we’re doing this month to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient food system:
Investing in student research through the Alt Protein Project
GFI’s university programme, the Alt Protein Project, has now directly facilitated over 100 jobs, more than a dozen alternative protein-focused courses, and many more student research projects. This year, we piloted our first academic challenge, a hackathon for alt protein research, where student teams take on a specific bottleneck the sector needs to solve.
Thanks our donors, GFI supported each project with $2,000 to $5,000. This early-stage funding draws students into the field and encourages more of the high-impact research needed for alternative proteins to reach their potential. You can hear five of the final teams present their work in our latest webinar here.
Connecting UK startup with the funding they need
The UK is one of the most supportive governments in Europe for alternative proteins. It set up Europe’s first regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat, and now its innovation agency has announced two new funding calls for alternative proteins, worth £13.5 million. GFI Europe has responded by flagging these calls to the businesses we work with, aiming to direct funding towards high-impact work most likely to move the sector forward.
GFI Europe has previous success here. Adamo Foods, a UK startup, went on to win a €10 million Horizon Europe grant after GFI Europe informed them of the grant and encouraged them to apply. In a tough climate where private investment is declining, connecting companies to public funding is even more important.
Brazil’s agricultural research body recommends diversifying production to include plant-based proteins
Good news from Brazil: Embrapa, the country’s national agricultural research corporation, published its strategic agenda for the future of Brazilian agriculture, making the case for diversifying food sources with plant-based proteins. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest agricultural producers and the largest exporter of beef, so this recommendation from such an influential agricultural body is a huge win.
GFI Brazil has engaged with Embrapa on alternative proteins for years, through research funding, workshops, technical visits, and broader engagement. Since 2019, GFI has funded 11 alternative protein research projects there, totalling nearly US$1 million. It’s fantastic to see this translating into national recommendations for the sector.
The Good Food Institute Organisation Updates:
Last month, the UN declared that there is no realistic pathway left to prevent global warming from exceeding the Paris Agreement’s 1.5ºC threshold. This summer’s heatwaves cost the EU 12 million tonnes of crops, and now we’re being warned that a stronger El Niño could have repercussions for global food security. It’s a stark reminder of why we do this work, and why your support of GFI matters now more than ever.
Here are a few things we’re doing this month to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient food system:
Investing in student research through the Alt Protein Project
GFI’s university programme, the Alt Protein Project, has now directly facilitated over 100 jobs, more than a dozen alternative protein-focused courses, and many more student research projects. This year, we piloted our first academic challenge, a hackathon for alt protein research, where student teams take on a specific bottleneck the sector needs to solve.
Thanks our donors, GFI supported each project with $2,000 to $5,000. This early-stage funding draws students into the field and encourages more of the high-impact research needed for alternative proteins to reach their potential. You can hear five of the final teams present their work in our latest webinar here.
Connecting UK startup with the funding they need
The UK is one of the most supportive governments in Europe for alternative proteins. It set up Europe’s first regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat, and now its innovation agency has announced two new funding calls for alternative proteins, worth £13.5 million. GFI Europe has responded by flagging these calls to the businesses we work with, aiming to direct funding towards high-impact work most likely to move the sector forward.
GFI Europe has previous success here. Adamo Foods, a UK startup, went on to win a €10 million Horizon Europe grant after GFI Europe informed them of the grant and encouraged them to apply. In a tough climate where private investment is declining, connecting companies to public funding is even more important.
Brazil’s agricultural research body recommends diversifying production to include plant-based proteins
Good news from Brazil: Embrapa, the country’s national agricultural research corporation, published its strategic agenda for the future of Brazilian agriculture, making the case for diversifying food sources with plant-based proteins. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest agricultural producers and the largest exporter of beef, so this recommendation from such an influential agricultural body is a huge win.
GFI Brazil has engaged with Embrapa on alternative proteins for years, through research funding, workshops, technical visits, and broader engagement. Since 2019, GFI has funded 11 alternative protein research projects there, totalling nearly US$1 million. It’s fantastic to see this translating into national recommendations for the sector.
We’re hiring:
Find career opportunities with GFI’s global affiliates here.
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