UK invests over £13m in new research centre to produce Cultivated meat

The project represents the UK government's largest ever investment in alternative proteins and will help UK scientists and companies produce Cultivated meat at scale

The new Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA) will be led by the University of Bath and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding agency that invests in science and research in the UK.

The center, which is scheduled to operate for seven years, will investigate how to produce Cultivated meat on a large scale. Researchers will also study the development of foods (such as sustainable palm oil) through precision fermentation . “This technique allows for the large-scale manufacturing of specific ingredients using microbial cells as 'factories' for the production of these compounds. Through genetic engineering techniques, it is possible to obtain recombinant microorganisms that become capable of producing compounds that were previously only obtained from other sources, whether animal or vegetable, such as palm oil. The use of this technique for the production of proteins and peptides, dyes, aromas, fats, and enzymes destined for the alternative protein sector is one of the most promising applications of fermentation technology,” explains Isabela Pereira, science and technology analyst at GFI Brazil.

CARMA will be staffed by experts from the University of Birmingham, Aberystwyth, College London and the Royal Agriculture, who will partner with the University of Bath. UK-based Cultivated meat companies including Hoxton Farms and Quest Meat will also join the centre.

Linus Pardoe, UK Policy Manager at GFI Europe, said: “This is a seismic move in the development of the alternative protein industry in the UK. I would like to commend the government for investing in the extraordinary potential of these new ways of producing meat.”

“This historic investment is a strong indication that the UK government recognises the importance of cellular agriculture and the need to invest in R&D to help companies scale production, reduce costs and make these new foods available to everyone,” concludes Pardoe.