Plant Protein Plus Network UK-SE Asia (3PUKSEA): Multi-disciplinary collaboration for plant protein research and innovation network between the UK and South-East Asia
The UK and Vietnam are building a research network to turn rice waste—the 25-35% of the country’s 47 million tonnes of annual rice production that ends up as side-streams—into a new source of plant-based protein. This matters because the global plant protein market, worth an estimated US$13.27 billion in 2022, relies heavily on imported soyabean, which generates food miles and drives deforestation. Alternative proteins have struggled to compete on price or attract enough technical investment. Rice protein from waste could offer a cheaper, locally sourced option. If the network succeeds, it could unlock a new value chain for rice protein in Southeast Asia, creating affordable plant-based proteins that reduce reliance on soy imports. For the UK, this opens trade opportunities in sustainable protein technologies. The project is not fundamental science—it is a practical, multi-stakeholder effort to map the economic and technical viability of upcycling rice waste, culminating in a UK-Southeast Asia innovation network. The immediate impact would be on supply chains and agricultural waste management, not on consumers’ plates directly.
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Food choices impact human and planetary health and therefore transitioning diets to more sustainable sources of protein is crucial. The plant-based protein (PBP) market is growing (estimated US$13.27 billion in 2022) but currently much dependent on imported soyabean causing food-miles and driving deforestation. A major challenge for diversification of the current PBP portfolio are the inability of alternative PBPs to compete with soyabean on price and the concentration of technical investment. This proposal will strengthen the already formed UK-Vietnam network to exploit further opportunities for PBP and rice proteins from 25-35% of waste/side-streams generated in 47 Mt rice production in Vietnam. The overarching goal is to drive research and networking activities to understand the plausible rice protein value chain and the untapped market opportunity in Vietnam which should culminate into the UK-SE Asia plant protein innovation network to unlock co-benefits of sustainable protein shift and upcycling opportunity. The proposal consists of accelerating network activities including stakeholder engagement and promoting UK-Vietnam research partnership on sustainable protein technologies which would help SE Asia to develop affordable PBP thereby propagating further trade opportunities for the UK. The network activities entail organising various research seminars, business innovation events and community engagement workshops to co-create valuable insights on the emerging market landscape of PBP, including socio-economic viability in SE Asia which will help us to perform detailed economic assessment of rice protein value chain and upcycling opportunities. The proposed research will deliver enduring climate-smart innovation by developing transformative technology for re-utilisation of protein-rich focal crops.
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