Sustainable Protein Grant Call: A Summary
- A Sustainable Protein Growth Stage Grant Call has been launched to help start-ups move from proven technology to commercialisation.
- The programme offers up to S$1m (US$776k) per selected growth‑stage start-up to scale technology and enter the market.
- Funding is jointly provided by Enterprise Singapore and the Bezos Centre @ NUS, each contributing S$500k per winner.
- Applications close on 30 January 2026
- The grant supports Singapore’s broader strategy to lead in sustainable protein, including plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-derived proteins.
Making the shift from science or technology concepts to commercialisation has long been cited by many start-ups as a major hurdle in bringing products to market.
This is a key gap that the Sustainable Protein Growth Stage Grant Call, launched by Enterprise Singapore and The Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, aims to help high-potential growth-stage start-ups in the category overcome, where each start-up could receive up to S$1m (US$776,551.30) in support.
“The Sustainable Protein Growth Stage Grant Call is a targeted initiative [to] help growth-stage start-ups refine their technology, scale, and bring their innovations to market,” EnterpriseSG Assistant Managing Director for Services and Growth Enterprises Jeannie Lim told us.
“Recognising the substantial capital required at this stage, the grant also provides an alternative source of funding to address challenges in today’s investment landscape. [We] also hope to help sustainable protein start-ups demonstrate both technical and commercial viability, and forge strong commercial partnerships for long-term growth.”
This was echoed by Acting Director of the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and Head of the National University of Singapore Department of Food Science and Technology Professor Zhou Weibiao, who highlighted that the Bezos Earth Fund is targeted at solving these challenges.
“This grant call is powered by a US$3m grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, [which] is targeted at bridging the gap between R&D and commercialisation,” he said.
“Approximately half of this funding supports early-stage start-ups (US$1.5m across up to 15 start-ups), with the remaining half supporting growth-stage start-ups (US$1.5m across up to three start-ups).”
Lim added that the grant call targets targets start-ups at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7-9 – essentially those whose technologies are tested, proven, and ready for commercial launch.
“Through a competitive evaluation process, we will select three promising start-ups or high-potential projects, each receiving up to S$1m in cash grants, jointly funded by the Bezos Centre @NUS and Enterprise Singapore,” she said.
Each winner will receive up to S$500,000 (US$388,283.15) from the Bezos Earth Fund and S$500,000 from Enterprise Singapore respectively.
The evaluation process will include pitching to a panel consisting of industry experts, investors and government representatives, and it will be key for start-ups to demonstrate not only the strength of their scientific data but also the commercial value of their system.
More information on applications can be found here. The closing date to apply for this grant is on January 30 2026.
Sustainable Protein
Sustainable Protein refers to protein sources that have been developed to minimise environmental and sustainability impacts, mostly coming from plant or novel alternative sources like microbial fermentation or cultivated meat.
Singapore has been working strongly to establish itself as a thought leader in this area, and recently held its inaugural Sustainable Protein Start-up Competition for early-stage start-ups in the industry.
Three winners were announced for this competition in November last year: Australia’s Magic Valley, the United States’ Fermeate and Canada’s Terra Bioindustries. All winners received S$175,000 (US$135,916.50) in funding.
“This partnership between the Bezos Centre @NUS and Enterprise Singapore underscores our shared commitment to nurture and support translation of sustainable protein technologies, especially in view of the long gestation period required for deep tech solutions to reach full commercial impact,” Lim added.
