This call has been established in collaboration with the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation (CAN) and is now open for applicants. This call is part of the National Growth Fund program for Cellular Agriculture and aims to achieve cost reduction and scaling, specifically in the research lines of precision fermentation and cultured meat. A total of 4.1 million euros has been made available for this call.
Cellular Agriculture (CA) is a promising new technology for producing animal products using animal cells and microorganisms, without the actual animal. It offers prospects for interesting economic developments, reduction of environmental impact, shrinking of the footprint, and improvement of animal welfare. Cells are grown in bioreactors and then structured into meat or used as an ingredient to enhance the taste and texture of meat substitutes. Animal proteins or other molecules can also be produced by specifically modified microorganisms using precision fermentation.
Goal of the call
This call aims to develop technology to operate Cellular Agriculture cost-effectively and successfully at scale. For example, through innovations in strains or cell lines, medium formulation, process design, process control, valorization of co-products, or product prototypes. There are two research lines in this call:
- A: Precision fermentation, the production of animal proteins by modified microorganisms.
- B: Cultured meat, the production of animal cells and tissue from both land and sea animals.
Budget
A total of €4,115,508 is available. For each project, a maximum of €1,371,836 in NWO funding can be requested. Projects must provide at least 20% co-financing. This mandatory co-financing may be provided in cash or in kind.
Matchmaking event
In collaboration with the CAN foundation, NWO is organizing a matchmaking event on June 25. During this event, potential applicants and possible co-financers will meet to form consortia. Register via the link. Participation in the matchmaking event is not mandatory but is recommended.
The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday, November 13, 2025, by 14:00:00 CET
About the National Growth Fund program for Cellular Agriculture
This Call for proposals is part of the National Growth Fund program for Cellular Agriculture. This program aims to train sufficient qualified personnel, develop fundamental and applied knowledge, and make scaling facilities available for companies. All this to firmly position the Netherlands as an international epicenter of activity, leadership, and entrepreneurship for this form of food production. In 2023, the proposal for Cellular Agriculture received an allocation of 60 million euros from the National Growth Fund.
Programs for the National Growth Fund
NWO carries out thematic programs for research, knowledge development, and innovation funded by the National Growth Fund. The results of these programs are applicable in innovations and organizations and thus contribute to the sustainable earning capacity and broad prosperity of the Netherlands. In these programs, parties from the entire knowledge chain collaborate, both public and private.