GFI Alternative Protein Research Grants

The program is dedicated to achieving three primary objectives: addressing technical bottlenecks, catalyzing further funding, and fostering collaborations to attract new talent to the field. To meet these goals, they annually release requests for proposals (RFPs) inviting open-access research focused on enhancing organoleptic properties, reducing costs, and scaling up alternative proteins.

In general, they are seeking to fund innovative projects that will specifically advance the science and technology of the plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated meat industries. “Meat” includes seafood such as fish and shellfish. Each RFP identifies priorities for research and can be submitted from any sector (academia, government, industry, nonprofits, etc.).

Key Topic Areas

• Priority A/Functionality from Fermentation: Ingredients for Plant-based Meats 
  • They seek to fund the identification and characterization of fermentation-derived ingredients that enhance alternative protein-based meat products to increase their adoption through improved taste, lowered cost, and nutritional benefits. These ingredients can be specific protein or protein classes that enhance the organoleptic properties of an AP meat, or a biomass product that contributes a significant percentage of the protein level as well as functionality/organoleptic benefit.
  • Current challenge
    • This topic area aims to develop ingredients specific to plant-based/ alternative protein meat product challenges in color, flavor, and binding. Taste parity is within reach with binders that mimic animal connective tissue, flavors that are identical to animal-based products, and colors that mimic the red-to-brown transition of animal meat. For example, color shelf-stable reds that transition to grey/brown above cooking temperatures and whites that do not employ TiO2 or CaCO3 are perennial targets. Flavors that closely resemble animal-based products and/or mask the off-flavors of plant proteins are essential to achieve taste parity. Finally, binders that provide animal-product-like texture and mouthfeel using innovative but easy-to-understand ingredients will improve both product development and consumer adoption. This research would solve currently intractable product development challenges.
  • Proposed solution
    • GFI is looking for proposals focused on end-product formulation, characterization, and assessment of fermentation-derived ingredients used in meat product formulations. Such analyses include, but are not limited to, nutritional content, digestibility, functional properties (i.e. emulsification, gelation, water and oil holding capacity, etc), chemical/physical properties (i.e. color, salt content), sensory appeal, and food safety (i.e. allergenicity). GFI encourages innovations related to biomass and/or precision fermentation ingredients that improve plant-based / alternative meat formulations.
• Priority B/Pathways to propel cell line development 
  • Advancing cell line development across terrestrial and aquatic species to bolster innovation and strengthen open-access research tools for the cultivated meat ecosystem.
    • Production platform: Cultivated meat
    • Technology sector: Cell line development
  • Current challenge
    • Access to high-quality cell lines from diverse species with an array of beneficial phenotypes is a prerequisite for companies and researchers to scale and optimize cultivated meat and seafood production. Achieving this scale and optimization is necessary if cultivated meat is to meaningfully deliver on all its environmental, public health, and animal welfare benefits. A lack of suitable cell lines is a persistent bottleneck to innovation that requires continued fundamental research and a stronger supply chain to overcome.
  • Proposed solution
    • GFI is looking to fund proposals to develop new cell lines or optimize existing cell lines from food-relevant terrestrial, fish, and crustacean species. Since there are differences in the state of cell line development progress across these three species groups, applicants are required to select at least one of the research pathways detailed below. The scope and objectives of each pathway have been carefully designed for a specific species group, considering what is likely to be achievable and of greatest impact to the field, given the current state of research.

Funding Information

• Total funding available: Up to $3.5M
• Project duration: Up to 24 months
• Funding amount per project: Up to 250,000 USD with up to 50,000 USD additional funding for projects partnering with researchers and/or industry stakeholders not previously engaged in alternative protein research.

Eligibility Criteria

• Submissions are open to applicants from all sectors worldwide, encompassing academia, government, industry, and nonprofits. GFI strongly encourages women and gender minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, and other individuals under-represented in the alternative protein industry to apply for funding through this RFP.
• Graduate students or postdoctoral researchers are eligible to lead the proposed project, contingent upon the inclusion of a Letter of Commitment signed by a faculty member from the student or postdoc’s higher education institution. This Letter of Commitment should:
  • Explicitly affirm the faculty member’s commitment to act as a collaborator and advisor for the project,
  • Confirm the proposed research will have access to the necessary laboratory facilities,
  • If the applicant is a student, include the current aims of their dissertation (completed and planned) and describe how the proposed research project contributes to it.
• GFI enthusiastically invites proposals from scientists who are new to the alternative protein field or have not previously received funding from GFI. However, they also welcome proposals from researchers who have previously received a GFI grant award. GFI will not fund efforts exceeding 100% FTE (full-time equivalent) for any personnel.
• Investigators may be included as key personnel in multiple proposal submissions, but are limited to serving as the Principal Investigator on one proposal per RFP.

For more information, visit GFI.