The Good Food Institute (GFI) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) have come together to launch the Protein Innovation Program, a global grant initiative aimed at advancing research and development in enhancing the sensory performance of plant-based and fermentation-derived proteins. The goal of this program is to boost consumer acceptance of alternative proteins by focusing on ingredient innovation and addressing flavor barriers that may hinder mainstream adoption.

Areas of interest for research include reducing off-flavors in alternative protein ingredients, leveraging hybrid ingredients for balanced flavor profiles, designing desirable flavors, and minimizing batch-to-batch variability in flavor attributes. The grant program seeks to support projects that utilize physical, biological, computational approaches and other innovative techniques across the value chain. To provide more insights on the program's scope and application process, an informational webinar will be held on February 11th, 2026, with a live Q&A session for potential applicants to participate in and address any questions they may have.