Programs
The Action Lab is advancing the transition to a more sustainable and humane food system through high-impact, applied scientific research.
We operate at the intersection of science, commercialization, and capital—bridging the gap between academic research focused on basic discovery and venture-backed companies constrained by limited R&D runway. By combining dedicated scientific expertise, commercially informed research priorities, and patient capital, we accelerate the development of solutions that can succeed in real-world markets.
Why a New Model of R&D Is Needed
With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, the need for sustainable, scalable food systems has become urgent. Given the resource intensity and environmental impact of conventional animal agriculture, meaningful progress will require a transition toward sustainable proteins.
That transition depends on more than innovation alone. New products must meet consumer expectations for taste, texture, nutrition, affordability, and convenience, while also delivering measurable climate and environmental benefits. This requires a new approach to research and development: one that is commercially informed, mission-driven, and designed to move efficiently from lab to market.
Companies often operate with limited R&D budgets and, as a result, can be understandably risk-averse. Scientific insights generated within companies are rarely shared across the sector, slowing collective progress. Universities, meanwhile, are well-positioned to conduct deep scientific research, but faculty and researchers juggle multiple priorities and any resulting intellectual property is typically owned by the institution. Those ownership structures do not always align with our vision of a food system designed to nourish and sustain people and the planet.
The Action Lab fills this gap. With dedicated, top-tier scientific staff fully focused on our mission, the Lab conducts rigorous, translational research designed to benefit the broader field. Importantly, decisions about intellectual property are made in alignment with our mission, ensuring that discoveries serve the long-term public good rather than narrow institutional incentives.
Our Approach
The Action Lab advances our mission through three core pillars:
Research & Development: Advancing novel, scalable protein technologies with clear commercial pathways and working with and guiding university research where appropriate.
Commercialization: Bridging the gap between discovery and market adoption to accelerate real-world impact.
Ecosystem Enablement: Strengthening the broader innovation ecosystem by aligning researchers, funders, and industry partners around shared priorities.
Functional Protein Discovery Platform
The Action Lab’s current R&D focus is the Functional Protein Discovery Platform, an applied research initiative designed to accelerate the development of scalable, high-performance plant proteins for next-generation food products. The project addresses a core bottleneck in alternative proteins: the lack of standardized, actionable data on how different protein sources and processing conditions affect real-world functionality.
By systematically screening commodity protein sources across scalable extraction and formulation conditions, the platform generates a high-quality, centralized dataset linking protein inputs to functional outcomes such as emulsification, gelation, foaming, and texture. This approach enables faster product development, reduces redundant experimentation across the industry, and creates a foundation for future AI- and ML–driven discovery.
The work focuses on supply-chain-ready crops and commercially viable processing methods, ensuring results translate directly to manufacturing. Near-term outputs include partner-ready protein “hits” for applications like egg replacement, dairy analogs, and baked goods, alongside a growing open dataset that supports innovation across the sustainable protein ecosystem.
Leadership
The Functional Protein Discovery Project is led by Dr. Daniel Westcott and supported by scientists Vivian Jones and Iris Moore.
Get Involved
To learn more about the Action Lab and opportunities to engage, visit www.sustainableprotein.org.
“Creating fantastic, protein-rich foods without animals starts with high-performance proteins. Today, discovering them is slow, siloed, and inefficient. By systematically mapping protein sources, extraction conditions, and functional performance in real-world applications, we’re clearing the path to faster innovation, lower costs, and more fantastic, protein-rich foods. Our goal is to transform protein discovery from a bottleneck into a catalyst for the next generation of fantastic, sustainable foods.”
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