Four UK-based alternative protein centres — the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein (BCSP), the Microbial Food Hub, the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), and the National Alternative Protein Centre (NAPIC) — have announced their intention to collaborate after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Together, the centres will work to drive innovation in sustainable, nutritious, and accessible alternative proteins. The MoU will combine expertise in cellular agriculture, microbial protein innovation, and plant-based protein development to address challenges such as cost reduction, scalability, and consumer acceptance.
The MoU was officially announced on January 21 at a global cross-centre panel discussion held on the second day of BSCP’s Scientific Kick-Off Event. At the event, leaders from research, policy, and industry discussed the future of sustainable food systems.
The MoU will enable partnerships, workshops, and research, showcasing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the alternative protein sector. The four centres share a vision regarding the role of alternative proteins in addressing climate change, food security, and public health.
“The sum will be greater than its parts”
All four of the alternative protein centres have opened within the past two years. CARMA launched in 2023 to help British scientists and companies make cultivated meat at scale, receiving an investment of £12 million from the UK government. The Microbial Food Hub was announced in early 2024, and also received £12 million in government funding to develop fermentation-based alternatives to animal products.
In mid-2024, BSCP launched at Imperial College London, spanning seven academic departments. Its aim is to research cultivated meat, precision fermentation, AI, machine learning, nutrition, bioprocessing, and automation. Finally, NAPIC was formally launched at the University of Leeds in December 2024, with the goal of “transforming the alternative protein landscape”.
“The problem we are trying to solve is so big and so important that we can only attempt to address it by working together,” said Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, Group leader at Imperial College London and Director of the BSCP and Microbial Food Hub. “That is why these cross-centre collaborations are so important, and I am convinced that in this MOU, the sum will be greater than its parts.“
