Don’t miss Israel’s sustainable protein and food innovation community gathering at the Technion.

On June 18, 2026, the Hecht Sustainable Protein Research Center and the Carasso FoodTech Innovation Center will host Beyond the Hype — a full-day conference bringing together academia, start-ups, industry, technology providers, funders, and food-system innovators to connect around the science, tools, and collaborations needed to move sustainable protein from promise to impact.

The conference will feature two outstanding keynote and featured lectures. Prof. Ellen Stechel from Arizona State University will open the day with “Beyond Photosynthesis: Toward a Water-Constrained, Energy-Driven Paradigm for Food Production,” challenging us to rethink the future of food production under the constraints of water scarcity, energy transition, and global sustainability. Later in the program, Prof. Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute will deliver a featured lecture on “Transforming Food Production for Sustainability: Microbes to Eat CO₂; Humans to Eat Microbes,” offering a bold scientific vision for the future of sustainable food systems.

The program brings together leading voices from Technion, the Weizmann Institute, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, GFI Israel, and the broader food-tech ecosystem, with talks and panel discussions spanning cellular agriculture, bioengineering, alternative proteins, food materials and structure, nutrition, sustainability, consumer acceptance, and the real scientific challenges still standing between breakthrough research and scalable food solutions.

Alongside the lectures, the conference will feature a prize-bearing poster competition, selected poster flash talks, and an analytical exposition showcasing tools, technologies, and capabilities relevant to sustainable protein and food-tech research. This is an opportunity not only to hear the latest science, but also to meet collaborators, discover emerging research, connect with start-ups and technology providers, and help shape the next stage of Israel’s food innovation ecosystem.

The challenges of reducing reliance on traditional resource-intensive foods are significant — from taste, nutrition, price, and consumer acceptance to scale-up and manufacturing. But the global stakes are even greater: climate change, land and water scarcity, pollution, food security, and access to healthy, nutritious diets. Meeting these challenges will require the concerted efforts of researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, funders, and public-sector partners.

Whether you are a researcher, student, start-up founder, industry professional, investor, policymaker, or part of the sustainable food innovation community — this is the place to be.

Come for the science. Stay for the conversations, collaborations, posters, prizes, expo, and the chance to be part of a fast-moving field that is shaping the future of food.

Registration is now open.