Belgian holding SME active in insect protein value chains and hydrometallurgical resource recovery across European research consortia.
MEAM HOLDING is a Belgian private holding company (SME) that has participated in EU research consortia spanning two distinct industrial domains: hydrometallurgical recovery of metals from low-grade ores, and sustainable insect-based protein production. As a holding structure, they likely represent business interests across subsidiaries active in circular economy and bio-based industries. Their EU project participation positions them as an industry end-user or commercialization partner within large research consortia, bridging scientific outputs toward market application. The breadth of their sector involvement — from environmental resource recovery to food-system innovation — suggests a company actively diversifying into emerging bio-economy markets.
Participated in SUSINCHAIN (2019–2023), a project focused on scaling sustainable insect protein production, covering protein transition, bio-conversion, and circular economy applications in food and feed.
Participated in CHROMIC (2016–2020), which targeted efficient mineral processing and hydrometallurgical recovery of by-product metals from low-grade metallurgical waste streams.
Both CHROMIC and SUSINCHAIN address circular economy principles — resource recovery from waste in CHROMIC, and bio-conversion of organic substrates to protein in SUSINCHAIN.
MEAM's earliest H2020 involvement (CHROMIC, starting 2016) was in industrial environmental science — specifically recovering metals from low-grade metallurgical residues, with no food or bio-economy angle. By 2019, their focus had shifted entirely to sustainable food systems with SUSINCHAIN, centred on insect protein, bio-conversion, and the protein transition. This is a significant sectoral pivot that likely reflects deliberate strategic diversification by the holding group into the emerging insect and alternative protein industry.
MEAM is moving away from industrial resource extraction toward bio-based food systems, making them a potential commercial partner for projects at the intersection of insect farming, alternative proteins, and circular food-feed value chains.
MEAM has never held a coordinator role — they join exclusively as consortium partners, which is consistent with a holding company seeking access to research networks and commercialisation opportunities rather than driving scientific agendas. Their two projects involved large European consortia (averaging roughly 23 partners each), suggesting comfort operating within complex multi-partner structures. They appear to function as an industry voice or market-access node rather than a technical research contributor.
MEAM has built connections with 46 unique consortium partners spread across 15 countries through just two projects — a notably broad network for such a small participation footprint. Their reach is pan-European, with no evident geographic concentration beyond their Belgian base.
MEAM is unusual among Belgian SMEs in holding active EU research connections across both industrial environmental technology and the insect protein sector — two areas that rarely overlap. For consortium builders, this cross-sector footprint means MEAM can serve as a bridge partner connecting circular economy principles to both waste valorisation and next-generation food production. Their holding structure also suggests they may be able to mobilise commercial assets or distribution networks that pure research partners cannot offer.
