What is the Alt Protein Project?

The Alt Protein Project is a global student movement dedicated to turning universities into engines for alternative protein education, research, and innovation. Students at all stages of their training, from first-year undergraduate students to graduate students about to defend their dissertations, are the driving force behind the Alt Protein Project, which is building momentum at universities around the world.

While students are excited to join the alternative protein field — which has seen tremendous growth in the past decade — they aren’t always aware of the critical role they play in defining the trajectory of our food system from within the university.

Students are the catalysts who can shape university priorities. From driving scientific inquiry that improves the sensory and functional qualities of new protein products to creating educational programs and establishing a talent pipeline for a growing industry, universities will be a cornerstone of the alternative protein ecosystem. 

The Good Food Institute established the Alt Protein Project so that motivated, visionary students could lead their universities to transform the way we produce food — creating a system that is sustainable, secure, and just.

Connecting and empowering students

The Alt Protein Project is a nexus for the academic efforts fundamental to building the alternative protein movement. The project is all about creating connections — between tissue engineers and food scientists, entrepreneurial business students and technical innovators, principal investigators, and the next generation of research talent. 

Most importantly, the Alt Protein Project connects members with the right ideas, questions, and opportunities that will help accelerate a global transition. The result is a network of academic institutions that prioritize plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-enabled protein. This network helps provide this growing alt protein sector with the institutional resources and human ingenuity it needs to scale and feed the world sustainably.

What are alternative proteins?

We define alternative proteins as meat, egg, or dairy products that are plant-based, cultivated, or fermentation-derived. We envision a food system that provides people with the foods they love — produced without conventional animal agriculture.

Want to learn more? Read about the diversity and opportunity of the alternative protein world.

Why work in universities?

Even students who are excited and motivated to join the alternative protein field are often unaware of the critical role they play in defining the trajectory of our food system from within the university.

Students are the catalysts who can shape university priorities. From driving scientific inquiry that improves the sensory and functional qualities of new protein products to creating educational programs and establishing a talent pipeline for a growing industry, universities are becoming a cornerstone of the alternative protein ecosystem. 

The Good Food Institute established the Alt Protein Project so that motivated, visionary students could lead their universities to supporting the transformation of the food system to one that is sustainable, secure, and just.

New fields, especially those that are interdisciplinary by nature, flourish when all stakeholders have the opportunity to connect and cooperate. The project is all about creating connections — between tissue engineers and food scientists, entrepreneurial business students and technical innovators, principal investigators and the next generation of research talent. 

Most importantly, the Alt Protein Project connects members with the right ideas, questions, and opportunities that will help accelerate a global transition. The result is a network of academic institutions that prioritize plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-enabled protein. This network helps provide this growing alt protein sector with the institutional resources and human ingenuity it needs to scale and feed the world sustainably.

What do Alt Protein Project groups do?

The Alt Protein Project is much more than a social group. It provides students and researchers with an interdisciplinary community in which to explore the alternative protein-related applications of their academic expertise. At each host institution, student leaders work with GFI experts to build initiatives that will have the greatest impact on growing their own school’s alternative protein ecosystem.

Some groups have chosen to design course materials and advocate for alternative protein curriculum development; to meet with principal investigators and other scientists to catalyze alternative protein-enabling research; to create alternative protein startups; and much more. Alt Protein Project groups are social hubs, too, where passionate, like-minded students can find one another through journal clubs and plant-based meat tastings—that’s part of what gives rise to the Alt Protein Project’s most exciting emergent properties.


What do we look for in a chapter of the Alt Protein Project?

As a student, you have incredible power to drive change at your universities.  Creating a chapter of the Alt Protein Project at your university would allow you to build an interdisciplinary network of like-minded peers and mobilize them around the most high-impact activities for advancing alternative proteins.

We’re looking for undergraduate and/or graduate student leaders at research universities that have the foundations for a long-lasting alternative protein ecosystem. This could mean universities:

  • Where students believe they can energize the academic community around the science, engineering, and commercialization of alternative proteins.
  • Located in a region with established agtech, biotech, or manufacturing capabilities.
  • With strong programs in any of the many sciences that enable alternative protein innovation—tissue engineering, fermentation science, and plant biology, to name just a few.

New student groups should have at least two co-organizers, where:

  • Both individuals:
    • Demonstrate a commitment to GFI’s mission of building a sustainable, secure, and just protein supply
    • Are willing to dedicate 5-10 hours per week for a year to running a successful student group
  • At least one individual:
    • Is experienced in community organizing
    • Is housed within a key scientific discipline for alternative proteins
    • Has deep familiarity with the alternative protein field
    • Will graduate from the university no earlier than August 2025
    • Is comfortable facilitating group discussions or could be with training

Do you have what it takes to bring the Alt Protein Project to your school? Our student resource hub will walk you through the key responsibilities and opportunities associated with running a student group. If you’re feeling energized to start building your own community, we’d love to hear from you!


What makes a strong co-founding team?

Groups with at least two founders are almost always more successful than those with one. Compared to a solo founder, you and your partner(s) will collectively have more free time to meet with administrators, maintain larger academic networks from which to recruit members, generate more energy to host meetings and larger events, and bring diverse perspectives to your group discussions. You will also find that as the academic year ebbs and flows, co-founders can pick up each other’s slack and support each other through difficult exam periods. This is so important that we make cofoundership a requirement before you can apply for the Alt Protein Project.

Though we think it’s essential to start your group as a team, you should be thoughtful about picking your co-founder and other team members.

Looking for a co-founder
Some people may feel alone in their interest in alternative protein and aren’t sure who to approach as a potential co-founder. If you’re having difficulty finding a partner, consider going to meetings or events hosted by student groups related to food technology, sustainability, effective altruism, and animal welfare to meet mission-aligned individuals. You can also reach out to GFI to see if anyone else from your school has contacted us about founding a group! If they’ve given us permission to share their contact information, we’ll put you in touch.

Once you’ve identified a few potential candidates, here are some things to consider when choosing a dedicated co-founder.

Mission-alignment: Pick someone who is passionate about creating a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative. If you or your co-founder(s) are just doing this to fill in the “volunteer” section on your LinkedIn profile, it’s much more likely that one of you will take ill-advised shortcuts or out-and-out bail when you’re crunched for time.

Availability: Are you and your co-founders each taking five classes, including organic chemistry? Then regardless of how enthusiastic you are, this might not be a viable dream team. Group founders should treat the Alt Protein Project like another class: it will require a few hours of paperwork to establish an official university student group, more hours of planning for group meetings, and even more time if you want to launch ambitious research and education initiatives on campus.

Your co-founding team should have at least 10-20 collective hours a week to spend on group-related work. After your first semester running the group, the time commitment will likely become much less demanding.

Complementary skill sets: The most passionate people in the room don’t always make the best group leaders. We recommend taking stock of the responsibilities involved with running a student group and assessing whether your co-founding team has the complementary skill sets to make your vision a reality.

Responsibilities may include:

  • Creative problem-solving with limited resources
  • Energizing and inspiring your peers
  • Paperwork, especially official registration work for the organization
  • Financial responsibility, ranging from the handling of receipts to applying for funding
  • Logistical planning, such as booking rooms, securing food, and delegating tasks for meetings and other events
  • Advertising and recruiting, including securing slots in activities fairs and designing posters or other recruiting material
  • Facilitating discussions with students and researchers about the challenges and opportunities around alternative proteins

And more! Check out our student resource hub for more information on the key responsibilities and opportunities associated with running a student group.

How does GFI support our student leaders?

GFI connects alternative protein scientists, entrepreneurs, and other innovators across the world. We tap into our network to showcase and amplify the impact of our student groups. In addition to maintaining a collection of resources for students, GFI works closely with members of the Alt Protein Project to provide strategic mentorship, guidance, and ad hoc support. Alt Protein Project members have access to a Slack workspace where GFI staff answer questions and stimulate innovative discussions. And, of course, student leaders in the workspace support one another and celebrate shared successes!

Once a month, GFI hosts a student leader call that serves as a forum for connecting our global community. These calls include roundtables, training from alternative protein experts, collaborative problem-solving sessions, and networking activities. Each active student group is also eligible for grants to support group projects and activities, in addition to the funds student groups can raise independently. Additionally, GFI will work with student leaders to help amplify news about student group events, campaigns, and other public-facing projects across our network.

Meet our student groups

Since 2020, we have established student groups at more than 50 universities around the globe that are well-positioned to lead the alternative protein revolution. Each group has members from different disciplines and academic stages working together to define and launch the high-impact initiatives needed for alternative proteins to succeed. Dive into our student group directory to explore how students are building alternative protein ecosystems on campus from Stanford to Wageningen, Cambridge to Melbourne.

Ucla logo
The Alt Protein Project at UCLA

University of California, Los Angeles

Active

University of texas at austin logo
The Austin Alt Protein Project

The University of Texas at Austin

Active

Bayreuth kulmbach logo
The Bayreuth-Kulmbach Alt Protein Project

University of Bayreuth

Active

Berkeley logo
The Berkeley Alt Protein Project

University of California, Berkeley

Inactive

Tu berlin logo
The Berlin Alt Protein Project

TU Berlin

Inactive

Biosense logo
The BioSense Alt Protein Project

University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Inactive

Cu boulder logo
The Boulder Alt Protein Project

University of Colorado, Boulder

Active

Brown logo
The Brown Alt Protein Project

Brown University

Active

Ucambridge logo
The Cambridge Alt Protein Project

University of Cambridge

Active

Unc ch logo
The Chapel Hill Alt Protein Project

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Active

Columbia university logo
The Columbia Alt Protein Project

Columbia University

Active

Cornell logo
The Cornell Alt Protein Project

Cornell University

Active

Uc davis logo
The Davis Alt Protein Project

University of California at Davis

Active

Delhi smart protein project badge
The Delhi Smart Protein Project

University of Delhi & Ashoka University

Active

Dtu logo
The DTU Alt Protein Project

Technical University of Denmark

Active

Duke logo
The Duke Alt Protein Project

Duke University

Active

Ecole polytechnique fédérale de lausanne (epfl) logo
The EPFL Alt Protein Project

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Active

Uiuc square logo
The Illinois Alt Protein Project

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Active

Imperialcollege of london logo
The Imperial College London Alt Protein Project

Imperial College London

Active

Johns hopkinsu logo
The Johns Hopkins Alt Protein Project

Johns Hopkins University

Active

Ku leuven logo
The Leuven Alt Protein Project

KU Leuven

Inactive

University of lisbon logo
The Lisbon Alt Protein Project

University of Lisbon

Active

Mcmaster university logo
The McMaster Alt Protein Project

McMaster University

Active

Umelbourne short logo
The Melbourne Alt Protein Project

University of Melbourne

Active

Colorado school of mines logo
The Mines Alt Protein Project

Colorado School of Mines

Active

Badge logo for the mumbai smart protein project
The Mumbai Smart Protein Project

IIT Bombay & ICT Mumbai

Active

Nmbu logo
The NMBU Alt Protein Project

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Active

Ntnu logo
The NTNU Alt Protein Project

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Active

Ntu singapore short logo
The NTU Alt Protein Project

Nanyang Technological University

Active

Nus logo
The NUS Alt Protein Project

National University of Singapore

Active

Nyu logo
The NYU Alt Protein Project

New York University

Active

Oxford university logo
The Oxford Alt Protein Project

University of Oxford

Active

Pennsylvania state university (penn state) logo
The Penn State Alt Protein Project

Pennsylvania State University

Active

Regensburg logo
The Regensburg Alt Protein Project

University of Regensburg

Inactive

San diego st u logo
The San Diego State Alt Protein Project

San Diego State University

Active

Universite sherbrooke logo
The Sherbrooke Alt Protein Project

Université de Sherbrooke

Active

Stanford logo
The Stanford Alt Protein Project

Stanford University

Active

Texas a&m university logo
The TAMU Alt Protein Project

Texas A&M University

Active

Tel aviv university logo
The Tel Aviv Alt Protein Project

Tel Aviv University

Inactive

University of tokyo logo
The Tokyo Alt Protein Project

University of Tokyo

Active

Tufts logo
The Tufts Alt Protein Project

Tufts University

Active

Uchicago logo
The UChicago Alt Protein Project

University of Chicago

Active

University college london (ucl) logo
The UCL Alt Protein Project

University College London (UCL)

Active

Ufmg university logo
The UFMG Alt Protein Project

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)

Active

Nigeria square logo
The University of Nigeria Alt Protein Project

University of Nigeria

Active

University of new south wales logo
The UNSW Alt Protein Project

University of New South Wales

Active

University of pennsylvania logo
The UPenn Alt Protein Project

University of Pennsylvania

Active

Usm logo
The USM Alt Protein Project

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Active

Utrecht logo
The Utrecht Alt Protein Project

Utrecht University

Active

University of wisconsin-madison logo
The UW-Madison Alt Protein Project

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Active

Wageningen logo
The Wageningen Alt Protein Project

Wageningen University and Research

Active

The Warwick Alt Protein Project

University of Warwick

Active

Uwaterloo logo
The Waterloo Alt Protein Project

University of Waterloo

Active

Yeditepe university logo
The Yeditepe Alt Protein Project

Yeditepe University

Active

59 Chapters

Eit food logo

EIT Food

Active

Ucla logo

University of California, Los Angeles

Active

University of texas at austin logo

The University of Texas at Austin

Active

Bayreuth kulmbach logo

University of Bayreuth

Active

Berkeley logo

University of California, Berkeley

Inactive

Tu berlin logo

TU Berlin

Inactive

Biosense logo

University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Inactive

Cu boulder logo

University of Colorado, Boulder

Active

Brown logo

Brown University

Active

Ucambridge logo

University of Cambridge

Active

Unc ch logo

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Active

Badge logo for the chennai smart protein project

IIT Madras

Active

Columbia university logo

Columbia University

Active

Cornell logo

Cornell University

Active

Uc davis logo

University of California at Davis

Active

Delhi smart protein project badge

University of Delhi & Ashoka University

Active

Dtu logo

Technical University of Denmark

Active

Duke logo

Duke University

Active

Ecole polytechnique fédérale de lausanne (epfl) logo

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Active

Eth zürich logo

ETH Zürich

Active

Uiuc square logo

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Active

Imperialcollege of london logo

Imperial College London

Active

Johns hopkinsu logo

Johns Hopkins University

Active

Ku leuven logo

KU Leuven

Inactive

University of lisbon logo

University of Lisbon

Active

Mcmaster university logo

McMaster University

Active

Umelbourne short logo

University of Melbourne

Active

Colorado school of mines logo

Colorado School of Mines

Active

Badge logo for the mumbai smart protein project

IIT Bombay & ICT Mumbai

Active

Nmbu logo

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Active

Ntnu logo

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Active

Ntu singapore short logo

Nanyang Technological University

Active

Nus logo

National University of Singapore

Active

Nyu logo

New York University

Active

Oxford university logo

University of Oxford

Active

Pennsylvania state university (penn state) logo

Pennsylvania State University

Active

Regensburg logo

University of Regensburg

Inactive

San diego st u logo

San Diego State University

Active

Universite sherbrooke logo

Université de Sherbrooke

Active

Stanford logo

Stanford University

Active

Texas a&m university logo

Texas A&M University

Active

Tel aviv university logo

Tel Aviv University

Inactive

University of tokyo logo

University of Tokyo

Active

Tufts logo

Tufts University

Active

Uchicago logo

University of Chicago

Active

University college london (ucl) logo

University College London (UCL)

Active

Ufmg university logo

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)

Active

Unicamp logo

UNICAMP

Active

Nigeria square logo

University of Nigeria

Active

University of new south wales logo

University of New South Wales

Active

University of pennsylvania logo

University of Pennsylvania

Active

Usm logo

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Active

Utrecht logo

Utrecht University

Active

University of wisconsin-madison logo

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Active

Va tech logo

Virginia Tech

Active

Wageningen logo

Wageningen University and Research

Active

University of Warwick

Active

Uwaterloo logo

University of Waterloo

Active

Yeditepe university logo

Yeditepe University

Active

Advance our core objectives

College campus in the fall

Explore our student group resource hub

In partnership with our community of university ecosystem-builders, we created this resource hub to help you identify the highest-impact actions to undertake on campus and use them to meaningfully advance the alternative protein sector. Explore this repository of helpful tools, templates, tips, and tricks to build a thriving alternative protein ecosystem at your university.

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Objective 1: Building alternative protein courses and majors

One of the largest bottlenecks in the alternative protein field is the relative lack of scientists and engineers who can advance plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-enabled meat, egg, and dairy products. The Alt Protein Project works to create and support alternative protein courses, tracks, and programs. Student leaders work with GFI experts and university faculty to design course materials and advocate for curriculum development. 

Explore our guide for advancing education

Objective 2: Stimulating open-access research

The alternative protein field needs more scientists driving open-access academic research for better alternatives to conventional meat, egg, and dairy products. Student leaders play a pivotal role in catalyzing open-access research by inspiring academic collaborations, designing research proposals, laying the foundation for research centers and consortia, keeping labs abreast of new funding opportunities, and pursuing their own lines of scientific inquiry.

Explore our guide for stimulating research

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Objective 3: Catalyzing alternative protein entrepreneurship

The Alt Protein Project empowers student entrepreneurs to start alternative protein companies that address key commercial white spaces whose solutions will help propel the industry forward. Students can do this in a myriad of ways—by working with alternative protein experts to analyze white space opportunities and develop product prototypes, mobilizing their peers through regional innovation challenges, building alternative protein tracks in student accelerators, and more!

Explore our guide for catalyzing entrepreneurship

Objective 4: Generating awareness and excitement

The Alt Protein Project organizes events and conferences to stimulate discussion, cultivate new ideas, and get people excited about opportunities in alternative proteins. Generating enthusiasm on campus means that more students can take advantage of the university environment to explore alternative protein white spaces, both within and beyond the Alt Protein Project.

Explore our guide for generating awareness and excitement

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Objective 5: Creating an inspiring, inclusive community

The Alt Protein Project provides students and researchers with a fun, fulfilling, and inclusive community in which to explore questions and opportunities around alternative proteins. Student groups welcome a diverse and interdisciplinary membership to spur novel thinking, break down academic silos, and foster collaboration.

Explore our guide for creating an inspiring, inclusive community

Get involved

We are currently not accepting applications to join the Alt Protein Project. However, if you’re excited about sparking the alternative protein movement on campus and think your school is a good fit for the Alt Protein Project, we’d love to hear from you! Please fill out the interest form and a member of GFI’s university innovation team will be in touch when we’re ready to accept new groups. In the meantime, check out our resource hub for student groups to get a better sense of what’s involved in leading a student group.

Ripe soybeans pouring from a farmer’s hands
Varsha
“The Alt Protein Project provides us with the guidance and framework necessary to spark conversations with students and faculty. The community involved with the Alt Protein Project, both within the Boulder group and across the globe, has been truly inspiring.”
Varsha Rao, Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering, The Boulder Alt Protein Project
Sophia
“The Alt Protein Project is the ultimate platform to bring students together from all spheres of campus to get involved. Hands down, this has been the best opportunity ever to learn about and make impact in alt protein as a student.”
Sophia Retchin, Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Environmental Studies, The Chapel Hill Alt Protein Project
Michelle
“It is so inspiring to be a part of such a passionate community working together to make the world more sustainable and humane. We are in the position to influence and shape the research done in academia. I believe we can help direct it to accelerate the alt protein revolution.”
Michelle Hauser, Ph.D CANDIDATE in Tissue Engineering, Good Food Tel Aviv
Ted
“Being able to spread my enthusiasm for alternative protein to other students at UC Davis through the Alt Protein Project has been so rewarding! It’s been an amazing way to enable my peers to discover new passions for the alternative protein space.”
Ted O’Neill, Ph.D. student in Food Science & Technology, The Davis Alt Protein Project
Kk headshot
“Alternative protein is definitely going to change food and culture, yet there is still so much to be explored and discovered. I have been motivated and inspired by people from around the world who are a part of this change.”
Kendall Kikkawa, Bachelor’s in Data Science and Statistics, The Berkeley Alt Protein Project

Check out upcoming events

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The Forum, Columbia University

INNOV-EAT Expedition – Trailblazing, failing and setting sail: A quest for food systems innovations

Embark on a trailblazing adventure, exploring groundbreaking innovations and strategies to transform global food systems. Prepare to challenge the status quo and address the root causes of food system issues.

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Future Food-Tech London Innovation and Investment from Farm to Fork

Future Food-Tech brings together global food corporates, investors and technology start-ups from around the world to uncover the most exciting innovations in the agri-food sector, forging the right partnerships to…

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Virtual Event

The Science of Alt Protein: Sustainable carbon and nitrogen sources for fermentative production of alternative proteins

Join GFI for our next Science of Alt Protein seminar to delve into Dr. Ujor’s research, which has important implications for sustainable and cost-effective protein production via fermentation.

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San Jose McEnery Convention Center

VERGE 23

VERGE 23 is a leading climate tech event focused on accelerating solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. Join over 5,000 professionals working together to address the climate…

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Connect with us

If you would like help growing the alternative protein ecosystem at your university, please reach out to the Alt Protein Project team. You can also share student testimonials or helpful tips for our global community of alternative protein ecosystem-builders.

altproteinproject@gfi.org

Related resources

College campus in the fall

Resource hub

Use this repository of helpful tools, templates, tips, and tricks to turn your university into an engine for alternative protein innovation.

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Building alternative protein courses and majors

This guide lays out the steps to build alternative protein courses and majors at your university.

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Stimulating alternative protein research at your university

This guide will give you the skills and tools to kickstart alternative protein research at your university.

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Generating awareness about alternative proteins

In our guide, you’ll learn about the steps needed to raise awareness and excitement about alternative proteins throughout your university.

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Advancing solutions for alternative proteins

Explore commercial whitespaces, research gaps, technological needs, and investment priorities at each stage of the alternative protein value chain.