NAPIC: National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre

Lead Research Organisation: University of Leeds
Department Name: School of Food Science and Nutrition

Abstract

To secure a continued supply of safe, tasty, affordable and functional/healthy proteins while supporting Net Zero goals and future-proofing UK food security, a phased-transition towards low-emission alternative proteins (APs) with a reduced reliance on animal agriculture is imperative. However, population-level access to and acceptance of APs is hindered by a highly complex marketplace challenged by taste, cost, health and safety concerns for consumers, and the fear of diminished livelihoods by farmers. Furthermore, complex regulatory pathways and limited access to affordable and accessible scale-up infrastructure impose challenges for industry and SMEs in particular. Synergistic bridging of the UK's trailblazing science and innovation strengths in AP with manufacturing power is key to realising the UK's ambitious growth potential in AP of £6.8B annually and could create 25,000 jobs across multiple sectors. The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), a cohesive pan-UK centre, will revolutionise the UK's agri-food sector by harnessing our world-leading science base through a co-created AP strategy across the Discovery?Innovation?Commercialisation pipeline to support the transition to a sustainable, high growth, blended protein bioeconomy using a consumer-driven approach, thereby changing the economics for farmers and other stakeholders throughout the supply chain.

Built on four interdisciplinary knowledge pillars, PRODUCE, PROCESS, PERFORM and PEOPLE covering the entire value chain of AP, we will enable an efficacious and safe translation of new transformative technologies unlocking the benefits of APs. Partnering with global industry, regulators, investors, academic partners and policymakers, and engaging in an open dialogue with UK citizens, NAPIC will produce a clear roadmap for the development of a National Protein Strategy for the UK. NAPIC will enable us to PRODUCE tasty, nutritious, safe, and affordable AP foods and feedstocks necessary to safeguard present and future generations, while reducing concerns about ultra-processed foods and assisting a just-transition for producers. Our PROCESS Pillar will catalyse bioprocessing at scale, mainstreaming cultivated meat and precision fermentation, and diversify AP sources across the terrestrial and aquatic kingdoms of life, delivering economies of scale. Delivering a just-transition to an AP-rich future, we will ensure AP PERFORM, both pre-consumption, and post-consumption, safeguarding public health. Finally, NAPIC is all about PEOPLE, guiding a consumers' dietary transition, and identifying new business opportunities for farmers, future-proofing the UK's protein supply against reliance on imports.

Working with UK industry, the third sector and academia, NAPIC will create a National Knowledge base for AP addressing the unmet scientific, commercial, technical and regulatory needs of the sector, develop new tools and standards for product quality and safety and simplify knowledge transfer by catalysing collaboration. NAPIC will ease access to existing innovation facilities and hubs, accelerating industrial adoption underpinned by informed regulatory pathways. We will develop the future leaders of this rapidly evolving sector with bespoke technical, entrepreneurial, regulatory and policy training, and promote knowledge exchange through our unrivalled international network of partners across multiple continents including Protein Industries Canada and the UK-Irish Co-Centre, SUREFOOD. NAPIC will provide a robust and sustainable platform of open innovation and responsible data exchange that mitigates risks associated with this emerging sector and addresses concerns of consumers and producers. Our vision is to make "alternative proteins mainstream for a sustainable planet" and our ambition is to deliver a world-leading innovation and knowledge centre to put the UK at the forefront of the fights for population health equity and against climate change.

Organisations

People

ORCID iD
Anwesha Sarkar (Principal Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1742-2122
Alan Javier Hernandez Alvarez (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4154-8630
Yue Huang (Co-Investigator)
Buddhapriya Chakrabarti (Co-Investigator)
Louise Dye (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2331-4227
Benoit Chachuat (Co-Investigator)
Ramin Ebrahimnejad (Co-Investigator)
Frederik Claeyssens (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1030-939X
Bhavani Shankar (Co-Investigator)
Tuck Seng Wong (Co-Investigator)
Alexandra Sexton (Co-Investigator)
Jason Hallett (Co-Investigator)
Cleo Kontoravdi (Co-Investigator)
Nik Lomax (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9504-7570
Kang Lan Tee (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9458-733X
Frances Sandison (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8565-4198
Kieran Tuohy (Co-Investigator)
Karen Polizzi (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5435-2667
James Murray (Co-Investigator)
Nicholas Watson (Co-Investigator)
Christopher Holland (Co-Investigator)
Gesa Reiss (Co-Investigator)
Christine Bosch (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6705-5709
Brent Stuart Murray (Co-Investigator)
Maria Papathanasiou (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8886-0624
Seetharaman Vaidyanathan (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4137-1230
Adam Brown (Co-Investigator)
Maria Charalambides (Co-Investigator)
Elizabeth Dinnie (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8016-5961
Sepideh Khodaparast (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6273-9124
Derek Stewart (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9838-4265
Andrew Bowen (Co-Investigator)
Nilay Shah (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8906-6844
Jerry Heng (Co-Investigator)
Samantha Caton (Co-Investigator)
Gordon James McDougall (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2285-0124
Jagroop Pandhal (Co-Investigator)
Francesca Ceroni (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7237-4982
Robert Hancock (Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5465-3814
Raul Huertas Ruz (Researcher Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0147-0752
James Allwood (Researcher Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6433-2694
Pietro Iannetta (Researcher Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3451-4259
Andrea Bernardi (Researcher Co-Investigator) orcid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8102-2759
Laure Kuhfuss (Researcher Co-Investigator)

Publications

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