To feed a growing population, Novozymes is inviting all interested parties to help co-create and innovate the future of sustainable protein.

By combining science with business expertise Novozymes wants to rethink how protein is made and sourced by enabling a new and progressive industry to provide sustainable nutrition.

As the U.N. Food System Summit sets the stage to bring about tangible, positive changes to the world’s food systems, Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, wants to rethink the way we manufacture and source protein.

Novozymes recently announced the launch of the Myco-protein Innovation Call – a global platform to cultivate new business collaborations to scale up the most promising innovations and ideas around how to use fungi as a source of protein.

“Realizing the importance of rethinking how we expand the adoption of plant-based protein and how we meet an increasing demand for sustainable nutrition, Novozymes is launching this global platform to help transform the future of food though the power of fungi and mycelium. Transforming our global food systems at scale will require radical new ways of working, bringing together the most cutting-edge scientific and business expertise from across industries and sectors – and this is what the Myco-protein Innovation Call is all about. We want to rethink and advance protein to find innovative ways to help feed the world sustainably,” says Amy Louise Byrick, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Transformation at Novozymes.

Within recent years, the global focus on myco-protein has risen significantly, and the increased awareness of a need for new sources of protein has brought attention to the potential of fungal mycelium. Its versatility is vast and has the potential to be used among others for whole-cut meat analogues, vegan bacon, tempeh, or even cream cheese. Despite neither the technology nor fermentation being new, innovative ways of utilizing the power of fungi for food applications is accelerating fast.

Paving the way for innovative business collaborations 
Novozymes has created a space where companies focused on new ways of working with myco-proteins can benefit from synergies across themes and functions. The Innovation Call invites start-ups, research centres, academics, corporates, NGOs, and public entities focused on new ideas within alternative proteins – and more specifically fungal mycelium – in food ingredients and products to apply to co-create and innovate the future of sustainable protein.

“As a biotech powerhouse, Novozymes can unlock significant value by building on decades of experience within fungal mycelium,” says Byrick. “We want to leverage this expertise around microbial fermentation and fungi to support the most promising innovations and ideas in the space of protein ingredients for food applications.”

At a time of accelerating demand across the protein space, Novozymes is strengthening its commitment to the area of Advanced Protein Solutions, built on a powerful portfolio of biotech solutions in the food and beverage areas.  Recently, the company entered a long-term contract with a key player in the plant-based industry, marking an important milestone in Novozymes’ strategy, Better business with biology.

The Myco-Protein Innovation Call is a new commitment to the area, designed as an opportunity to leverage Novozymes’ global scientific and business leadership to support emerging innovations in the myco-protein space, and together build the future of food.

For more information and to submit your application, visit the Myco Protein Innovation page.

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Fact Box:

• The Innovation Call invites startups, research centers, academics, corporates, NGOs, and public entities focused on new ways of working with fungal mycelium in food ingredients and products to apply.
• Applications will be accepted on an on-going basis, with two key dates set for application review by the Novozymes team: November 15th, 2021, and January 31st, 2022.
• Selected companies/solutions will be invited to co-design a formal collaboration, with Novozymes seeking to serve as a key collaboration partner and catalyst in scaling up the solution together.
• Potential opportunities for these collaborations include access to scientific, business, R&D experts, and labs facilities; access to distribution

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Photo provided by Novozymes BioAg