Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation is working with Protein Industries Canada (PIC) to invest up to £6.5 million in innovation projects.

The Expression of Interest (EoI) competition is to find the best proposals to be put forward to the full application stage of the competition, with EoIs due to be submitted by 1st November.

The aim of the full stage competition is to support the development of the plant-based protein sector.  The objective is to meet global consumer demands for alternative proteins and to create export opportunities for the technologies, products and services developed.

Projects must include the use of plant-based proteins from crops that have potential for deployment at scale across Canadian and UK food and feed supply chains. This can include but is not limited to: field peas, lentils, canola, beans, oats and lupin.

Projects can consider innovations that utilise high-protein crops in combination with other plant-based proteins, for example potato and hemp.  They can also consider other innovations that help enhance plant-based products, for example oils or fats derived from cellular or acellular fermentation.  Proposals must focus on one or more of five areas:

  • Ingredients - the development, scaling and optimisation of plant-based ingredients
  • Products - the conversion of high protein crops, ingredients and co-products into consumption-ready goods
  • Adding value or enhancing quality - innovations to improve the nutritional quality, consumer acceptability, sustainability, and safety of plant-based products
  • Animal feed or pet food applications – innovation related to uses focused on plant-based pet food and animal feed
  • Co-product stream management - innovations to add value to by-products produced during the processing of crops and related ingredients for plant-based product manufacture

For more information here.