PROTWIN
PROTWIN emerges at a pivotal moment when global pressures—exploding populations, proteins’ essential role in health, and animal agriculture’s heavy environmental toll—are accelerating the shift toward plant-based diets. Yet today’s commercial plant protein alternatives disappoint, lacking optimal technological performance, digestibility, and positive effects on gut microbiota. In Türkiye, protein crops hold immense promise.
PROTWIN is a Horizon Europe Twinning project (2024-2027) that transforms TÜBİTAK as leading research center in Türkiye through strategic partnerships with Europe’s elite—Aarhus University, University of Liège, and CNR-ISPAAM. These collaborators bring unmatched expertise in protein processing, digestion, gut health, and advanced -omics platforms, creating synergies that spark innovation.
Through intensive knowledge exchange and best-practice sharing, PROTWIN aims at elevating TÜBİTAK’s researchers, forges enduring networks, and positions Türkiye as a plant protein powerhouse. The expected result will feed pipeline of joint EU projects tackling the next generation of sustainable, nutritious plant proteins for food.
The EU Food Safety Platform is supporting the project by sharing within its multi-actor network.
In line with the EU FOOD SAFETY PLATFORM networking approach, PROTWIN, with its sister project EXCEL4PRO participated in the EU FOOD SAFETY FORUM 2025 to share its objectives and actions, looking for cooperation and synergies.
Collaborative Actions under the CNR Terms of Reference (ToR)
To initiate and strengthen collaboration, in 2025, the EU FOOD SAFETY PLATFORM and PROTWIN formalized cooperation with the signing of a Terms of Reference (ToR). This agreement sets the basis for structuring joint initiatives and actions to boost synergies in the framework of the EU food systems.
The first initiatives under the TOR is the participation of the PROTWIN Coordinator at the EU FOOD SAFETY FORUM in Rome on 2-3 December 2025, showcasing the project to a wide audience.
The platform has contributed to the PROTWIN Webinar Series, which bringd together researchers and experts to discuss the future of plant-based proteins. Veronica Lattanzio – the EUFSP Coordinator participated in the Webinar 3 “The Future of Food Safety in Europe: update of regulatory framework and research needs about novel foods“, on March 19, 2026.
For more information, you can contact the project Team.
Team
Dr. Aytunga Arık Kibar
Project Coordinator
