Apply to 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 dissertation, are the driving force behind the Alt Protein Project, which is building momentum at universities around the world.

Since our inception in 2020, our student leaders have shown us how their unique positions within their universities, paired with their unparallelled enthusiasm, empowers them to play critical roles 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. Check out the APP impact page for key examples of the incredible work APP chapters are already doing on their campuses.

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.

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 synthesize priority research areas and funding opportunities for principal investigators and other scientists to catalyze alternative protein-enabling research; to design course materials and advocate for alternative protein curriculum development; to create alternative protein startups; and much more. Alt Protein Project groups are community 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.

As a student, you have incredible power to drive change at your university. Creating a group of the Alt Protein Project at your university allows 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 can capitalize on established university mechanisms to 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.

Universities with professors already active and engaged in the alternative protein community can provide excellent opportunities for on-the-ground mentorship, but that level of pre-existing faculty support is by no means a requirement. Being a student-led community, we expect faculty to serve in an advisory role at most, and part of your early work as a group can include faculty outreach to create those connections.

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
  • Has experience in, or has demonstrated ability to learn the fundamentals of management and strategic planning
  • 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 2028

Beyond those requirements, our most impactful co-organizers are those who focus on growing their group to include representation from all corners of the student body. A large and thriving team means your group can reach multiple departments, connect with undergraduate and graduate curricula, and remain strong long after your group’s founders have graduated.

We are a global community eager to build a network of people from all backgrounds, countries, traditions, and languages. We do, however, run our program in English. A complete fluency of English is not required to be an active member of our community, but a working knowledge of the language is necessary to engage in our events and resources.

Are you ready to bring the Alt Protein Project to your university? Check out our student resource hub for guidance on how to approach the key responsibilities and opportunities associated with running a student group. Once you have all the information you need, please submit your application!

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.

Finding the right team of motivated, dependable leaders is the most reliable way of setting your group up for lasting success.

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 even bail out completely when you’re crunched for time.

Availability: Take a realistic look at your course loads, work schedules, and other commitments. If there just aren’t enough hours in the day for either of you, this might not be a viable dream team regardless of how enthusiastic you are. 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. But remember: the more dedicated leaders on your team, the more you can spread that work between everyone!

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

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

We connect 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 an online community where GFI staff answer questions and stimulate innovative discussions. And, of course, student leaders in the workspace support one another and celebrate shared successes!

GFI hosts recurring calls and workshops that serve as a forum for connecting and strengthening 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.