The £3 million will be injected into a new Diet and Health Collaborative Research and Development programme, set to accelerate concepts and pilots emerging from UK bioscience into real world solutions.
The programme is looking to invite stronger collaboration between academia and industry and support the development of novel food products and innovations in food processing that deliver healthier, more sustainable and high-quality food for consumers.
Co-designed and jointly funded by BBSRC and Defra, the partnership brings together bioscience innovation with Defra’s policy priorities, supporting delivery against the Good Food Cycle. Applicants to the programme are expected to demonstrate how their proposals contribute to this ‘cycle’.
Priority areas for the project include:
- Improving the nutrition of food and drink products for populations at higher risk of malnutrition or muscle loss
- Assessing and improving the impact of food processing and final product composition on health, including the effects of emulsifiers
- Improving environmental outcomes for food and drink, including through the use of circular economy approaches
Projects may focus on areas such as: biofortification, reformulation and processing innovations, improving the affordability and accessibility of nutritious food, understanding consumer behaviour, or strengthening the resilience of the UK food supply chain.
“This new investment reflects the power of partnerships in translating world-leading bioscience into tangible benefits for people, the economy and the environment. By bringing together researchers and industry, BBSRC and Defra are working together to deliver outcomes that can improve nutrition, reduce food inequalities and help build a more resilient and sustainable food system,” commented professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC executive chair.
This programme builds on UKRI’s strong foundations in diet and health research and will help deliver real-world impact and improve lives and livelihoods across the UK.
This latest investment builds on previous commitments from UK Research and Innovation, including the £15 million Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club. This initiative has resulted in several partnerships across industry, culminating in projects such as the world’s first omega-3 enriched tomatoes, and inulin-infused tea.
If interested, applicants can apply via the UKRI Funding Finder. You will be required to submit a notification of intent ahead of submitting a full application.
