Academic and Industry Ecosystem Mapping
Bringing together Cambridge-based academics and businesses to foster collaborations in the Alternative Protein space.
OUR MISSION
In the last few years, the Alternative Protein field has entered a new phase. The focus has shifted from trying to produce a proof of concept at the bench scale to how we can scale these technologies to match the volume and cost of animal farming. In this transition, the field has become substantially more multi-disciplinary. Chemical engineers are needed to design the bioprocess, cell biologists to engineer cell lines, materials scientists to design scaffolds and engineers to model fluid dynamics in bioreactors larger have ever been used before. It is crucial that experts in different disciplines are working closely together to solve these technical bottlenecks in an interdisciplinary fashion.
Furthermore, we cannot view the technical challenges of this technology in isolation from the enormous social change that they aim to bring about. Social scientists are the crucial engineers of global change. There are very few institutions globally that have world-class research expertise across all of these disciplines, and the University of Cambridge is one of them.
It is our vision to turn Cambridge into a pioneering hub of Alternative Protein research and innovation in the UK and worldwide. A place with:
Research focusing on early stage pre-competitive technical bottlenecks in promising but nascent Alternative Protein technologies,
Interdepartmental and multidisciplinary research collaborations,
Socio-economic research that is conducted across all areas of the Alternative Protein revolution,
Close proximity between research and business that fosters collaborations and entrepreneurship,
Institutional research funding allocated for Alternative Protein research can ensure that faculty are able to fund their labs while branching into new research areas.
Cambridge’s first workshop for academics on alternative proteins!
In March 2023, together with our collaborators from the Cambridge Global Food Security, an Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Zero and the Good Food Institute, this workshop brought together researchers from the University of Cambridge and further afield, as well as representatives from business and funding bodies, with the following goals:
To develop proposals for alternative protein research projects, including collaborators within and outside the university.
To facilitate a network between academics interested in alternative protein research across the University’s different schools.
To build a roadmap for how initial research projects could progress into a world-leading Centre for Alternative Protein Research.
Check out the event report for further details.
“The alternative proteins workshop was a fantastic event, bringing together researchers from across multiple departments and disciplines to identify how Cambridge can become a world leader in these research fields. It is clear that there is both the desire and expertise to build on this momentum, and I look forward to seeing this realised in the coming months.”
Building on the interest in the alternative protein workshop, the GFS and collaborators envision to continue to grow the interdisciplinary Cambridge Alternative Protein Network and spark research projects and collaborations. Visit this website to stay up to date on future opportunities.
Do you want to be part of this growing ecosystem?
To this end, we are creating a database of local Alternative Protein players in academia and industry.
LOCAL ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN COMPANIES
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![Algenuity]()
Algenuity
Utilising Chlorella microalgae biotechnology for sustainable protein production.
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![Qkine]()
Qkine
Qkine manufactures high-purity, animal-free growth factors, cytokines and other complex proteins.
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Animal Alternative Technologies
Developing scalable cultivated meat production systems and technologies.
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![StemBond Technologies]()
StemBond Technologies
Aiming to leverage advances made in controlling cell fate and function at the Stem Cell Institute for our partners and future therapeutics.
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![isomerase]()
Isomerase Therapeutics
Using synthetic biology, bioengineering and fermentation for drug discovery and development.
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![Higher Steaks]()
Higher Steaks
Developing cell culture and scale up technologies for cultivated meat.
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![Barn4]()
Barn4
Barn4 is an Agritech Incubator at NIAB’s Park Farm in Cambridge. They support the growth of start-ups in the field of crop science research.
For Alternative Protein companies beyond Cambridge, check out the GFI’s industry database.