On October 21st, 2025, our coordinator, TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (TÜBİTAK MAM), organised the “Excel4Pro and Protwin Projects Joint National Workshop: Türkiye’s Plant-Based Protein Vision” at Gebze Technical University in Gebze, Türkiye.
This half-day event brought together 15 key stakeholders, including representatives from local and regional authorities, policymakers, universities, research institutions, technical researchers, SMEs, tech start-ups, entrepreneurs, innovation experts, and public NGOs, to collaboratively assess Türkiye’s position in the evolving plant-based protein sector.
Organized within the framework of Joint Strategic Research Agenda and Action Plan of the Excel4Pro project, the main goal of the workshop was to co-develop the national strategy and roadmap for plant-based proteins in Türkiye, using a HUB-based multi-stakeholder approach. The scope included:
- Current ecosystem and stakeholder mapping
- National and HUB-level strategy design
- Integration of value chain elements: R&D, sourcing, processing, distribution, and market development.
The event featured a series of presentations and fruitful discussions focusing on Türkiye’s strategic direction in the plant-based protein ecosystem.
- National HUB and Strategy Roadmap, timeline for strategy drafting (Oct–Dec 2025).
- Discussions on the role of communication and alignment between institutions.
- International Policy Benchmarks, Denmark’s Plant-Based Food Action Plan (2023)
- Consumer Acceptance Insights, with taste, texture and price as main critical barriers identified.
- Value Chain Mapping, from local legumes → fractionation → isolate/TVP production → formulation → cold chain logistics → retail feedback loops.
Between November and December 2025, the project team will focus on drafting the National Strategy and HUB Strategy documents, incorporating the outcomes and insights generated during the workshop into detailed action tables. In parallel, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with key national stakeholders, including ministries, industry representatives, and R&D institutes. Building on these inputs, an integrated five-year Action Plan will be developed, outlining clear objectives, activities, responsibilities, timelines, performance indicators, and risk assessments to guide the coordinated advancement of Türkiye’s plant-based protein sector.
