Although Excel4Pro is still ongoing and final project results are not yet available, the activities performed so far have already established important scientific, technical and ecosystem-level foundations for future plant-protein innovation activities. The project goes beyond the current state of the art by combining harmonised cross-border benchmarking methodologies, pilot-oriented plant protein research and quadruple helix ecosystem integration within a single collaborative framework involving Türkiye, Greece and Ukraine.
A major outcome achieved so far is the development and implementation of a common multi-criteria assessment methodology for the evaluation and prioritisation of protein-rich crops and agro-industrial side streams across different regional ecosystems. This approach supports more systematic and comparable decision-making regarding future plant-based ingredient development and pilot-oriented processing activities. In parallel, preliminary laboratory-scale studies generated promising technical results regarding protein extraction, purification and characterization of selected raw materials, particularly oilseed-derived side streams.
The project also contributes to strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, innovation actors and ecosystem stakeholders through joint scientific activities, collaborative publication pipelines and ecosystem-oriented co-creation activities. These interactions help support knowledge transfer, improve innovation capacity and strengthen regional cooperation within emerging plant protein ecosystems.
Further uptake and long-term success of the project results will require continued pilot-scale validation, demonstration activities, industrial collaboration, access to funding opportunities and further support for commercialisation and innovation uptake. Additional needs include sustainability assessment activities, regulatory alignment, market-oriented validation and continued stakeholder engagement to support future implementation and scalability of plant-protein-based solutions.
In the next project phases, Excel4Pro will further expand pilot-oriented activities, collaborative research actions, sustainability analyses and ecosystem-level innovation support mechanisms in order to strengthen the scientific, technological and innovation impact of the project results.
