From world-leading food science to real-world impact

The UK has world-leading strengths in alternative protein research and innovation. Where it keeps tripping up is everything that comes after the science, the messy, expensive, unglamorous work of turning a promising result into something you can actually buy.

That gap is what Imran Afzal and the team at NAPIC, the UK's National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre, are setting out to close. And ahead of Future Food-Tech London 2026, Imran makes a case that's less about the next breakthrough ingredient and more about the plumbing the whole sector has been missing.

The problem hiding behind the headlines

Ask most people what's holding alternative proteins back and they'll point at the science, or the price, or the consumer. Imran points somewhere less obvious.

"One of the biggest opportunities in food-tech is closing the gap between excellent research and commercial impact. The UK has world-leading science and innovation, but too many promising ideas stall because researchers and businesses lack access to the infrastructure, expertise, funding and networks needed to take them forward."

In other words, the ideas aren't the bottleneck. Everything around the ideas is. The science is only one part of the challenge. The bigger question is what happens between a promising result and something that can be safely, affordably and successfully brought to market.

The very specific gap almost nobody talks about

Here's where Imran gets concrete, and it's the kind of detail that reframes the whole conversation. There's a particular size of factory the UK is short of, and it's quietly stalling projects.

"That includes addressing a particular bottleneck in mid-scale, food-grade infrastructure, where access to 300–1,000 L facilities can be critical for pilot production, regulatory development and commercialisation."

It's a very unglamorous problem, and that's exactly why it matters. A brilliant innovation can prove itself in the lab and then hit a wall simply because there's nowhere to make it at the scale needed to test, regulate and sell it.A brilliant innovation can prove itself in the lab and then hit a wall because suitable facilities may be difficult or expensive to access at the scale needed for pilot production, regulatory work and commercial validation. NAPIC is tackling that head-on by mapping existing capacity, brokering access, and exploring mechanisms like access vouchers to help de-risk those crucial pilot runs.

From isolated innovation to connected ecosystems

If there's one shift Imran wants food-system leaders to internalise, it's this one.

"The future of food won't be transformed by individual organisations working in isolation. We need to move from isolated innovation to connected innovation ecosystems."

In practice, that means designing research with scale in mind from day one, rather than treating manufacturing, regulation, infrastructure, consumer acceptance and human health as problems to worry about later.

"We need to understand not only whether we can produce alternative proteins at scale, but whether the resulting foods deliver the nutrition, functionality, digestibility and consumer experience people need."

And crucially, he wants the industry to stop treating people and skills as an afterthought.

"Skills and entrepreneurship should be seen as strategic infrastructure. Investing in CPD, mentoring and venture support is what enables great science and IP to become successful, scalable businesses."

The collaboration that actually moves things

Imran is clear that the partnerships worth having are the ones that put very different people around the same table.

"The most valuable partnerships bring together different perspectives around shared challenges. Researchers need to understand industry needs; industry need access to cutting-edge science; investors need confidence in emerging technologies; and policymakers and regulators need robust evidence."

He's seen it work, through NAPIC's Collaborative Programme Funding, which pairs academia and industry on practical problems with real commercial potential. But he's honest that the sector needs to go further: earlier engagement from manufacturers and retailers to validate market fit, long-term partnerships with food-grade facilities to close the mid-scale gap, and sustained dialogue with regulators to build clear pathways for assessing nutrition, sustainability and safety.

What the next decade actually looks like

Imran doesn't expect a single silver-bullet technology. He expects a convergence.

"It will be shaped by the convergence of plant-based proteins, precision fermentation, cultivated systems, AI, digital technologies and advanced manufacturing, alongside innovations that improve affordability, nutrition, sustainability and consumer acceptance."

Within that, he flags three things worth watching: mid-scale commercialisation infrastructure finally maturing, national data that makes sustainability and nutrition claims genuinely comparable, and a stronger pipeline turning research IP into investable spin-outs. NAPIC's role, as he frames it, is to be the connective tissue across all of it.

"Our ambition is simple: to connect innovation from source to human health, turning excellent science into real-world impact and helping build a more resilient, sustainable and globally competitive food system."

Meet NAPIC in London

This is exactly the kind of joined-up conversation Future Food-Tech London 2026 is built for, the researchers, manufacturers, investors and policymakers Imran wants in the same room, actually in the same room. He and the NAPIC team will be part of it throughout the event.

If you are passionate  about turning great food science into things people can actually buy, this is where that work gets easier.

Future Food-Tech London is happening soon. Book your pass now to join Imran, the NAPIC team, and global food-tech leaders, investors and innovators in London.