1. Abstract Structure and Content

Title

Provide a concise, descriptive title with a maximum of 15 words.

Authors

List all authors with affiliations, including department, institution or company, city, province or state, and country. Include the presenting author’s email address.

Body (Maximum 300 Words)

Abstracts must use the following headings:

• Problem / Opportunity: Clearly describe the real-world challenge or opportunity being addressed and its relevance to the protein ecosystem.
• Approach: Provide a brief, high-level description of the approach. Avoid excessive technical detail unless necessary.
• Key Findings / Insights: Summarize the main findings, focusing on what was learned. Preliminary results are acceptable.
• Practical Implications (mandatory): State how the work applies to industry, product development, processing, policy, or the broader protein ecosystem.
• Next Steps / Translation Potential (optional but encouraged): Outline possible next steps such as validation, scale-up, partnerships, or commercialization.

2. Thematic Relevance

Abstracts must align with one or more symposium themes:

Examples of Relevant Topics

• Climate resilience, soil health, biodiversity, livestock systems, food security, nutrition, policy, and workforce
• Processing of plant and animal proteins, fermentation, extrusion, fractionation, hybrid technologies, functionality, nutrition, and scale-up
• Regulatory pathways, commercialization, market access, and industry implementation

3. Accessibility and Language

The symposium brings together academia, industry, and policy stakeholders. Abstracts must be written for a broad interdisciplinary audience.

• Use clear, accessible language
• Minimize discipline-specific jargon or define it when necessary
• Emphasize insights, relevance, and application over technical detail
• Clearly explain why the work matters and who it benefits

Highly technical abstracts without clear application or relevance may be deprioritized.

4. Formatting Requirements

• Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
• Spacing: Single-spaced
• File Format: PDF
• Word Limit: Maximum 300 words, excluding title and author information

Originality and Scope

Submissions are welcome from across the sustainable protein ecosystem, including food processing, agriculture, plant systems, animal systems, soil systems, nutrition, and related disciplines.

Previously presented datasets are acceptable where they represent original work or provide new insights.

The primary language of the symposium is English.

6. Review and Evaluation Criteria

• Industry Relevance & Application (25%): Real-world problem or opportunity, industry relevance, actionable insights
• Clarity & Accessibility (20%): Written for a broad audience, clear value, avoids unnecessary technical detail
• Relevance to Symposium Theme (15%): Aligns with one or more themes and supports innovation or sustainability in the protein ecosystem
• Scientific Quality & Rigor (15%): Appropriate methods and conclusions supported by results
• Impact & Translation Potential (15%): Scale-up, adoption, implementation, or next steps
• Formatting & Adherence to Guidelines (10%): Meets all required structure, formatting, and submission standards

7. Presentation Format

Accepted abstracts will be assigned to either oral or poster presentations.

• Oral presentations will prioritize submissions with strong industry relevance, clear application, and broad impact
• Poster presentations may include early-stage or more technical research

Registration Requirement

All presenting authors must register and attend the symposium in person.

Location: Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg
Date: June 23, 2026

The detailed program will be released in early June 2026.