Innovation Hubs
Six New Hubs For Innovation
In 2022, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded six new Hubs as part of the Open Innovation Research Club (OIRC) on diet and health.
In 2023, the British Nutrition Foundation was mandated by BBSRC to coordinate the six OIRC Hubs. An overview of all the Hubs’ activities is available on the BNF website: oirc.org.uk.
The hubs address shared barriers to innovation across the food and drink sector and aim to reduce the huge impact poor diet has on public health.
From maximising the nutritional value of foods to better understanding what influences dietary choices and the relationship between food and health, these new innovation hubs bring together leaders from academia, industry and wider stakeholders.
Each Innovation Hub will build cross-sector collaborative networks to improve the UK’s capacity and capability and deliver world-class innovation around diet and health.
The Biofortification Hub is an important component of the OIRC initiative. It will connect academia, industry and policymakers to collaboratively pursue shared research priorities in the development of crops, foods, feed and fodder with higher levels of nutrients.
Six BBSRC Innovation Hubs were established in 2022 as part of the Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club (OIRC). They are:
- Biofortification Hub: Improving health and nutrition through biofortification, Quadram Institute Bioscience & John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park
- RIPEN Hub (Understanding the interplay between food components and human physiology) – Imperial College, London, University of Surrey & PepsiCo
- Consumer Lab (Promoting sustained acceptance of healthy foods) – University of Bristol
- INFORM (Development of functional foods and beverages) – University of Reading
- Improved nutrition across the life-course (i NutriLife) – University of Southampton
- STAR (Plant-based dietary solutions across the life-course) – University of Surrey, Guildford
