Scaling-up nutritional proteins from alternative sources
Funds scale-up of protein extraction or production processes from alternative sources like plants, fungi, microorganisms or fermentation, aimed at food use.
This Innovation Action is run by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking rather than the Commission directly, evaluated in a single-stage round. The JU expects to fund two projects, each with a fixed EU contribution of EUR 7,000,000, drawn from a combined budget of EUR 172,137,258 shared across all thirteen topics in the CBE JU's 2025 call. Applications use the CBE JU's own 2025 call appli…
Proposals may also target additional properties depending on the application, such as reducing food intolerances or allergies or improving digestibility, and can co-produce other bio-based products, including feed, alongside the food-grade protein through a cascading approach. Where a proposal pursues a circular production model, it must ensure the loop doesn't reintroduce pathogens or contaminants, so the resulting product carries no added toxicological risk.
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