Joint STAR-Biofortification Hubs Funding Call

In addition to regular funding calls, in 2025 the STAR Hub and Biofortification Hub have joined forces to offer an additional and unique funding call based on the common interests of both Hubs on plant-based nutrition and biofortification.

AWARD: up to 12 months & max. £125K

OPEN 31 March 2025

DEADLINE to submit proposal 12 May 2025 (18:00 GMT)

JOINT STAR HUB AND BIOFORTIFICATION HUB 2025 FUNDING CALL: Improving the nutritional, health and sustainability profile of existing or novel plant/fungi-based foods through Biofortification

Apply to the joint STAR-Biofortification Hubs funding call.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact the STAR Hub Manager or the Biofortification Hub Manager.

Improving the nutritional, health and sustainability profile of existing or novel plant/fungi-based foods through Biofortification:

Interest and uptake of plant-based diets has grown significantly in recent years. Ensuring nutritional adequacy, however, particularly with respect to micronutrients, remains a significant concern and it remains unclear as how best to incorporate more plant-based substitutes into our diet whilst maintaining sufficient intakes of key nutrients. For example, plant-based milks (soy, coconut, oat, pea, etc.) differ considerably from normal milk in terms of nutritional content and thus their suitability for specific population groups may be questionable.

Biofortification is an enabler of the Green Revolution (2.0) which can potentially increase the nutritional value of foods by improving the plants and crops which are used to produce them. Its major strength is in serving to improve both public and planetary health through biofortifying plants to make staple crops/plants more nutritious as they grow. As well as increasing nutrient levels, biofortification can also encompass improved bio-availability (by mixing or improving food), fermentation or reformulation of existing food and feed products without direct fortification. So, biofortification can have a marked impact on a key challenge of our time which is that certain nutrients (for example, protein and specific vitamins) that have important functional roles for older people are derived from food groups for which sustainability scores are low, and which therefore may not be favourable to the environment.

Therefore, a specific remit of this joint STAR Hub and Biofortification Hub initiative is to promote the use of biofortification to:

• Providing the food industry with robust evidence for biofortification to support novel reformulations based on nutritional needs appropriate for different age groups (e.g., plant-based milks for children)
• Addressing the issue that (highly processed) plant-based foods can be high in salt, sugar or saturated fat
• Addressing the dual challenge of sustainability and meeting nutritional needs at critical stages of the lifecycle.