As part of Oxford University’s Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) programme, funded by the Wellcome Trust’s Our Planet, Our Health initiative, the Smith School for Enterprise and Environment has been developing a database of interactions between major food companies and emerging ‘alternative protein’ start-ups. The market for plant-based meat and dairy products is growing at pace, and many incumbent players in the food system are launching new products, acquiring plant-based protein businesses, engaging in joint ventures, or pursuing corporate venturing and open innovation activities such as equity investment or accelerator programmes. The Smith School's thesis is that these activities could represent an important dynamic in driving a ‘protein transition’, given that meat and dairy products are responsible for 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
The alternative protein database seeks to track these activities with the aim of better understanding the scale, extent and patterning of corporate involvement with alternative proteins. Publicly available data from corporate disclosures, media reports and existing databases will be supplemented by new qualitative data around motivations and strategies to be generated through interviews. The database will provide a unique source of information for industry and academic researchers. The Smith School has currently generated a database framework that has been populated with data from over 100 corporates and 40 start-ups.
The Smith School now requires help from an enthusiastic and motivated research assistant with excellent communication skills to further populate the database through desk-based research and interviews, and prepare it to become publicly accessible. The database is being created in Airtable. This is a casual posting for a fixed period of a maximum of 12 weeks from March 2021. Full details of the position are provided in the attached job description (click on the PDF link below).
Expressions of interest (maximum two pages) should be submitted by 5pm on Friday 12 March 2021, with a view to start by the end of March 2021. Expressions of interest outlining relevant experience, interests and motivation, along with a 2-page CV, should be submitted via email to hr@ouce.ox.ac.uk by the deadline. Prospective applicants are also welcome to contact Julian Cottee via email (julian.cottee@ouce.ox.ac.uk) for informal inquiries about the role.
