Forging the Path
to EU Protein Sufficiency
From harnessing on-farm processes to creating business models, VALPRO Path aims to turn food-chain actors towards sustainable plant protein production.
Our mission is to pioneer fresh possibilities, validating and showcasing ways to enhance plant protein production for food and feed in the EU.
VALPRO Path aims to increase plant protein production in Europe to strengthen food system resilience, reduce dependence on imported protein, and lower the environmental impact of food production. By promoting local crops such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, lupin, faba beans, and soybeans, the project supports soil health, enhances biodiversity, and helps cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to livestock farming and long-distance transport.
Through 5 Innovation Production Systems (Living Labs) in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Denmark, VALPRO Path is creating business models around high-protein crops. Our scalable solutions benefit consumers, farmers, and the agri-food sector, boosting farmer income, lowering emissions, and meeting the rising demand for sustainable, eco-friendly food and transparent food systems.
The VALPRO Path Knowledge Point serves as a central online hub for exploring innovative practices in land-based protein production. It consolidates all project experiences and insights while fostering multi-actor engagement. Designed for a broad range of stakeholders, it presents key concepts and the results of Innovation Production Systems. By engaging experts and providing accessible content, this hub facilitates knowledge transfer and accelerates the adoption of new plant-protein innovations.
VALPRO Path’s Full Circle
DEMONSTRATE
Running 5 multi-stakeholder ‘living lab’ Innovation Production Systems (IPSs) with strong industry involvement delivering value for industry, market & society
TRANSFORM
Applying multi-criteria mathematical modelling & optimization approach, integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, sophisticated data acquisition protocol and sustainable crop rotation planning models
CO-CREATE
Delivering 10+ circular value-chain business models tailormade for IPSs co-created with multi-actor approach
The current European plant-protein landscape is flawed. Heightened societal awareness of the environmental impact of consuming animal-based protein is driving the public’s awareness of alternative, sustainable sources of dietary protein. Yet, production systems are focused heavily on the production offered stock for direct transfer into animal sectors in an attempt to counter the European over-dependency on imported feed. In essence, there is an absence of premium supply chains, with farmers missing out on added-value opportunities that exist within the crops they already grow across Europe. VALPRO Path is focused on changing this, with an ambition to co-design novel value propositions that support farming systems to meet Farm-to-Fork strategic objectives.
Dr. Ewen Mullins | Head of Crop Science Department at Teagasc and VALPRO Path Project Coordinator
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OUR PARTNERS
Project Coordination:
Dr. Ewen Mullins
Head of Crop Science Department at Teagasc and VALPRO Path Project Coordinator
Oak Park, Carlow R93 XE12, Ireland
ewen.mullins@teagasc.ie
Project Communication:
Prof. Dr. Mladen Radišić
CEO, Foodscale Hub
foodscalehub.com
Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8
21000 Novi Sad,
SERBIA
mladen@foodscalehub.com
VALPRO Path project is co-funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee.