EIT Food at EPIC- SHIFT Project Kick-Off at Historic Lund University

Formally launched in November 2024 and backed by €4.5 million in Horizon Europe funding, EPIC-SHIFT is a bold initiative focused on integrating novel foods based on alternative proteins (NAPFs) into European diets. These include protein sources derived from insects, fungi, bacteria, algae, and agricultural side-streams. Led by Dr. Deniz Koca of Lund University, the project will deliver multidimensional assessments—encompassing environmental, technological, social, and economic aspects—to guide future policy, consumer adoption, and value chain integration.

As the leader of Work Package 7 (WP7), EIT Food North-East is at the helm of the project’s efforts to ensure that its research, insights, and innovations reach the right audiences and create a lasting impact. WP7 encompasses communication, dissemination, exploitation (CDE), open science, and the building of interfaces across policy, science, industry, and society. There will be several partner organisations involved in these works- SAFE, Food+I, New Harvest, ATOVA , Shake-Up Factory.

At the kick-off meeting, Julia Hava, Communication & Events Project Manager at EIT Food North-East, with Katarzyna Pawłowka, a researcher working on stakeholder mapping at EIT Food North-East, led a strategic workshop titled "Communication with Target Groups and Stakeholder Engagement", drawing full attendance from in-person participants. Justyna Kulawik – Dudkowska, Senior Partnership Manager and member of the Protein Diversification Think Tank led by EIT Food North-East, took part as a participant alongside the rest of the consortium members, including Deniz Koca from Lund University, the EPIC- SHIFT project coordinator.

The session focused on:

1. Establishing a common language around stakeholder typologies and CDE strategies, and
2. Aligning the consortium’s engagement approaches and perspectives

By guiding this foundational collaborative workshop, EIT Food North-East helped lay the groundwork for a cohesive, high-impact communication approach that will be carried through the project’s three-year lifecycle. We warmly thank all consortium members for their active participation and for sharing their unique expertise within the group work.

The kick-off event itself was marked by a spirit of open dialogue, co-creation, and shared purpose. Project partners presented work package plans, aligned goals, and exchanged early ideas on innovative pathways for protein diversification. Goran Kumrić, from the European Research Executive Agency (REA), also joined the gathering, offering valuable implementation insights.

Throughout the project, EIT Food North-East will continue to lead the work on the communication and stakeholder engagement strategy. External stakeholders will include policy-makers, industry, farmers, consumers, investors, and the research community. Key responsibilities include:

• Designing and implementing the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (CDEP)
• Launching a formal multi-stakeholder board to act as a global hub for knowledge exchange and community building in novel protein innovation,
• Promoting open science practices, and
• Disseminating research findings into evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers, the research community, diverse industry entities, and investors

By anchoring the communication strategy and stakeholder outreach, EIT Food North-East ensures that the insights from EPIC-SHIFT don’t remain confined to academic circles but instead drive real change across the European food system.

• For consumers, the project will provide evidence-based information about novel protein alternatives, potentially expanding dietary options
• For food producers and businesses, insights into market dynamics and consumer preferences will help guide product development
• For policymakers, comprehensive sustainability assessments could inform food system regulations and incentives
• For social and environmental advocates, the project contributes to efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of protein production and predict account different types of social impact that the transformation pathways would bring.
• For farmers, the project will explore inclusive approaches to ensure their active involvement in emerging protein innovation value chains, addressing the for clear information about opportunities and risks.

As the implementation phase begins, EIT Food is working with other consortium members on a series of collaborative activities, knowledge-sharing platforms, and policy engagement efforts to accelerate the uptake of sustainable protein innovations. With its regional expertise and pan-European network, the team is uniquely positioned to amplify the project's voice and bring its results into practice across Europe.

EIT Food North-East extends its sincere gratitude to Deniz Koca, Asa Grunning and the entire Lund University team, so as to all consortium members, for a productive and inspiring launch event. The collaborative momentum generated in Sweden will serve as a strong foundation for the impactful work ahead.

Follow the project on Linkedin and at epic-shift.eu to be up to date with project news and invitations to events.