AUSTFHU Year book 2022/2023

By Devora M. Liss

Hebrew University runs in Nir’s blood. His grandfather Yerach studied physics in the early 1950s, and his father, Noam, studied economics in the 1980s. Aspiring for a meaningful career, Nir began studying law and then joined an honors program where he concurrently earned an MBA. He wanted to become an influencer, a decisionmaker.

As a student, Nir developed an interest in patents. He began working at the Ministry of Justice and

completed his internship in the field of intellectual property, working on a number of patent cases in the food industry. He then joined Israel’s largest management consulting firm, but a few years later left to establish a foodtech division at a different company.

In 2019, Nir’s phone rang. It was the Good Food Institute (GFI), an international nonprofit think tank that promotes innovation in the field of alternative proteins. Nir was being asked to found and manage their Israeli affiliate office, one of only six worldwide. He readily accepted.

Israel is an alternative protein powerhouse, with over $600M invested in 2021, second only to the United States. GFI Israel is advancing the field across the board, working with government, academia, and the business sector. Within Israel, Hebrew University is leading the way with twelve labs already conducting cutting-edge research into alternative proteins, and twenty-seven more that want to begin. Five Hebrew University researchers have received GFI grants. In addition, GFI Israel developed the first academic course on plant-based proteins, cultivated meat, and fermentation – especially for Hebrew University. Following its inaugural run at the Robert H. Smith

Faculty in Rehovot, the course traveled to nearly 20 universities worldwide.

With Israel as a global leader in the field, it should come as no surprise that when Nir served cultivated meat to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and current President Isaac Herzog, they became the first heads of state to taste the future – literally. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asked Nir to debrief him before meeting with President Joe Biden, and even shared Nir’s slides with the American leader. In 2021, Nir was invited by President Herzog to join Israel’s delegation to

the Glasgow COP26 Climate Conference, where he presented GFI’s work to the group.

Nir and his team are developing innovative global strategies to promote alternative proteins, working with the Israel Innovation Authority, the World Bank, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He is currently working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put alternative proteins at the forefront of the mission of Israel’s diplomatic corps – spreading the word that the food revolution is well underwayin Israel.

The field of alternative proteins aims to replace animal-based products such as meat and dairy with alternatives created from plants, fungi, microorganisms (e.g. algae), or cultivated animal cells, which is meat grown and harvested in a lab, rather than from animals. Today, animal-based products are costly – in terms of the amount of land, water, and energy required. As the world population grows and entire countries adopt a higher standard of living, the consumption of animal-based products continues to rise. Ultimately, the alternative protein market strives to do more with less – to feed more people higher quality food, using a small fraction of the resources required to produce animal-based products. Hebrew University faculty and alumni are leading the way, making Israel a global leader in the field.

This article originally appeared in the Hebrew University’s Scopus magazine, and is reprinted with permission from the Hebrew University and with thanks to the Good Food Institute for their permission to reprint the article and photographs.