The University of Leeds is leading a £38 million center with partners to develop sustainable and planet-friendly alternatives to animal proteins. The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) will receive £15m from the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK over the next five years. The center aims to create a pan-UK innovation center to secure a constant supply of affordable, healthy, and safe proteins that also support Net Zero goals and the UK’s future food and animal feed security. NAPIC will be co-led by the James Hutton Institute, the University of Sheffield, and Imperial College London. The project is crucial to reducing population health inequalities following groundbreaking research into alternative proteins already being conducted by the University of Leeds.
Alternative proteins (AP) are derived from sources other than animals, including cereals, legumes, tubers, nuts, mushrooms, seaweed, insects, biomass or precision fermentation proteins, and cultured meat. Professor Anwesha Sarkar of Leeds’ School of Food Science and Nutrition will lead over 30 researchers from the four institutions and more than 120 NAPIC partners who will work with industry, regulators, investors, and policymakers to create a vibrant alternative protein innovation ecosystem. NAPIC will produce a clear roadmap for the development of a National Protein Strategy for the UK. The transition towards low-emission alternative proteins is imperative to deliver sustainability and protein equity for all. NAPIC will provide a sustainable platform for open innovation and responsible data exchange and collaboration, mitigating the risks associated with this emerging sector.
The market for AP faces many challenges, including taste, nutritional equivalence, cost, health and safety concerns, and the possibility of diminished livelihoods for farmers. The center will address the short and long-term concerns of consumers and producers while providing a robust and sustainable platform. NAPIC will collaborate with partners from industry, regulators, academic partners, and policymakers to mitigate risks associated with the sector. The center will operate as a hub for open innovation and responsible data exchange, creating an alternative protein innovation ecosystem that produces a clear roadmap for the development of a National Protein Strategy for the UK.
