Cellular Agriculture Australia, Australia’s industry body for the cultivated meat industry, says its pilot seed grant program will begin in 2023.
The grants will be designed to attract new university researchers in relevant disciplines, such as tissue engineering, food science, cell biology, advanced manufacturing and consumer science – who are not currently undertaking cellular agriculture research for food production – to apply their skills to a related project.
“We have granted pre-approval for six out of the eight grants and are in discussions for the remaining two.
“We are hugely excited by the range of research topics that will be covered in the first year of the program and the level of engagement we are receiving from several Australian universities,” CAA said.
The objective of the program is to inspire new talent to enter into the field and support novel and open-access cellular agriculture research in Australia, with the University of Sydney, Australian National University, Deakin University, and University of Melbourne already involved.
The pre-approved projects are mix of technical and social science topics, which are all critical areas of research in the advancement of the cellular agriculture sector. These include:
- applying sensory and consumer science to understand consumer perceptions of cultivated meat;
- exploring and mapping which stakeholders will be affected by cellular agriculture to inform messaging and communications from and about the sector;
- virtual modelling of a full-scale cellular agriculture production facility to inform infrastructure design;
- development of an insect biobank to isolate, characterise and assess different insect cells for potential future cellular agriculture applications; and
- identifying combinations of natural bioactives to promote muscle cell growth and favourable traits for cellular agriculture.
Seed grantees will each be awarded up to $5000 in matched funding and will also receive support throughout the program from industry experts and leading academics.
The program is structured around a supported student experience including:
- regular online meet ups facilitated by CAA;
- guest lectures on a range of technical, industry level, and career-development related topics;
- science communication and outreach opportunities;
- an in-person wrap-up event at the completion of the program; and
- access to our Learning Management System to build foundational knowledge of the field.
The program is being designed to maximise shared learning across the cohort and provide opportunities for the students to share knowledge about projects and the wider sector, and receive mentoring from experts already in the industry, build their professional network and gain valuable transferable skills.
