About the Biofortification Hub

Mission:

To support, fund and connect academia, industry and policymakers to collaboratively pursue shared research priorities in the area of biofortification.

To promote collaborative interactions and research projects between industry and academia as well as to support the UK biofortification community by disseminating opportunities and information in health and nutrition.

The Biofortification Hub combines expertise in soil, crop genetics, food innovation and human health and nutrition. It will work closely on the biofortification of food and feed crops with farmers, food producers and retailers across the supply chain.

We are hosted by Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB) and the John Innes Centre (JIC) on the Norwich Research Park.

Objectives:

Provide funding to innovative research projects in the area of biofortification
Promote interactions, collaborations and exchanges between industry and academia
Organise workshops and meetings to promote relationship building and address current and emerging challenges in the area of biofortification
Assemble a community of food producers, industry, policymakers and scientific researchers who collectively can take robust actions toward improving the biofortification of food, feed and fodder in the UK
Identify areas of research need and opportunity that will have significant impacts on food, feed and fodder biofortification in the UK
Support the UK biofortification community by disseminating opportunities and information in health and nutrition

Scope:

The Biofortification Hub is open to a wide range of classic as well as sustainable, complementary and novel approaches to biofortification to make plants, food, feed and fodder more nutritious:

Classic approaches to make plants more nutritious:

Conventional selective breeding
Precision breeding (gene editing)
Genetic engineering
Agronomic practices

Sustainable, complementary and novel approaches:

Biofortification through controlled environment agriculture
Fermentation
Improved bio-availability (mixing / improving food products)
Reformulation of existing food and feed products
Secondary biofortification (feed & fodder)
Pet food

Management:

The Biofortification Hub is led by Prof Martin Warren from the Quadram Institute and Prof Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre.

It is managed by four committees composed of experts from academia and industry. This 28-strong team of UK and international scientists have a broad range of expertise and they lead, advise, organise, network and review grant proposals submitted to the Hub.

Executive Group (EG) including the Hub Manager. 5 members from:

Quadram Institute Bioscience
John Innes Centre
Campden BRI

Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) 8 members from:

University of East Anglia
Gs Growers
Rothamsted Research
The Royal Veterinary College
University of Surrey
Food Standards Agency
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

Core Membership Group (CMG). 13 members from:

Ulster University
University of Aberdeen
University of Leeds
University of Lincoln
Imperial College London
University of Surrey
AB-Mauri
PepsiCo
Unilever
LettUs Grow
Quorn foods
Algenuity
New Era Foods

International Advisory Panel (IAP) 3 members from:

HarvestPlus
Unige (Université de Genève)
Ghent University

The Biofortification Hub is part of a network of six BBSRC Innovation Hubs established in 2022 as part of the Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club (OIRC). It has received funding to operate for five years from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research & Innovation, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the government. The Hub is hosted by research institutes that are strategically supported by BBSRC. Since 2023, the British Nutrition Foundation has been mandated by BBSRC to coordinate the six OIRC Hubs.

Membership of the Biofortification Hub is open and free. Apply on the Membership page if you would like to join.