Elevation of TFTAK’s scientific excellence in filamentous fungi cultivation

TFTAK offers applied research services to Estonian and international food manufacturers. To ensure scientific excellence, it is necessary to have high-level personnel and cooperation with EU scientists through joint research projects. TFTAK’s long-term aim is to increase the fraction of EU Horizon projects in our project portfolio while continuing the support of local companies. Filamentous fungi applications in food offer promising alternatives to animal protein production, thus, reducing the environmental impact of feeding the growing human population. The world’s population is predicted to reach about 10 billion by the year 2050. The need for animal protein will increase by 80%. That has led to an increasing number of companies looking for support in their filamentous fungi application developments. TFTAK has invested in dedicated and specific bioreactors that are most suitable for fungal cultivation. TFTAK has 20 years of experience in bioprocess development, but at the moment lacks an experienced scientist who specialises in fungal metabolism and applications. This is the reason why TFTAK has considered it necessary to onboard a researcher with the mentioned expertise. The project aims to establish TFTAK as a leading filamentous fungi bioprocess development service provider and partner in scientific research in Estonia and the EU. To achieve that it is necessary to increase TFTAK's scientific level in the field of filamentous fungi cultivation and secure funding from both local and EU sources. For that, it is vital to increase TFTAK's visibility at scientific conferences in the field and build a network of partners. The applicant will ensure that the scientific level of the personnel is kept up to date with the latest scientific achievements in the field. In addition, a three-year strategy for the research group will be developed during the first six months of the project.