Diet and Health OIRC 2025 Funding Calls
The Diet and Health Open Innovation and Research Club (OIRC), funded by BBSRC is delighted to announce its 2025 Open Funding Calls.
OIRC is a network of innovation and research hubs that work on a variety of diet and health projects and activities designed to support a thriving innovation and nutrition research system through funding robust and actionable projects collaboration and insights.
Watch on-demand below:
What was the aim of the event?
The webinar gave participants an overview of the OIRC Hubs and funding schemes. Viewers gained a deeper understanding of the opportunities available in 2025 and the key nutrition and health priorities that funding applications must address.
The session was aimed at UK researchers (Early Career Researchers [ECRs], midlevel and senior), research support staff and food-related businesses who may consider submitting a proposal to the 2025 OIRC grant call, and those who may be collaborating on and supporting these applications.
Programme:
2.00 - 2.10pm
Introduction - British Nutrition Foundation/BBSRC
2.10 - 3.10pm
Hub and Funding Call updates from OIRC Innovation Hubs
3.10 - 3.40pm
Panel Discussion with the Hub Leads
3.40 - 3.45pm
Closing remarks
3.45 - 4pm - Comfort break
4.00 - 4.30pm
OIRC Hub Breakout Rooms
The 2025 Funding Calls
The Call is open to all disciplines and areas of interest and should include one or more of the following:
- Understanding the interplay between food components and human physiology
- Improving health and nutrition through biofortification
- Biological, social and psychological determinants of food choice and eating behaviour
- Investigating the role of functional food and beverages to improve health and recovery
- Understanding how food and beverages can deliver improved nutrition across the life course
All proposals for OIRC funding calls must be led by a researcher based at an eligible UK research organisation and include at least one stakeholder from business as a project partner.
This Call invites applications for small and larger-scale pilot/proof-of-concept projects.
Business Interaction Vouchers:
Typically:
- develop and enhance collaboration between academics and businesses within diet, health and nutrition
- provide up to £50k per project (100% fEC)
- are for projects up to 6 months duration
- encourage cash or in-kind contribution from an industrial partner(s) based in the UK
Feasibility Awards (Proof of Concept Awards):
Typically:
- enable translation and commercialisation activity leading to innovation and longer-term relationships between collaborations
- provide up to £100k per project (100% fEC)
- require a cash or in-kind contribution from an industrial partner(s) based in the UK
Funding is also available for Flexible Mobility Awards to support mobility between academia and industry; ECRs wanting to explore working in industry, or industry staff wanting to gain experience in a public research organisation.
The Hubs
The OIRC Hubs provide support and funding to applicants aiming to undertake innovative research projects that drive improvements in our understanding of the relationship between food and health and how we can improve the nutritional and sustainable value of the food we eat, and explore what underpins food choices.
Biofortification Hub
PI: Prof Martin Warren, Quadram Institute Bioscience
Improving health and nutrition through biofortification: Working across the supply chain on the development of crops and food with higher levels of nutrients.
https://biofortificationhub.org/
Consumer Lab
PI: Prof Jeff Brunstrom, University of Bristol
Focusing on ways to assess and understand everyday dietary behaviours to understand consumers’ real-world food choices.
https://consumer-lab.bristol.ac.uk/
i-NutriLife
PI: Prof Philip Calder, University of Southampton
Understanding how food and beverages can deliver improved nutrition across the life course including healthy ageing.
INFORM Hub
PI: Dr Gemma Walton, University of Reading
Examining the potential for functional foods to improve human health via their impacts on gut microbes.
https://research.reading.ac.uk/inform-innovation-hub/
RIPEN Hub
PI: Prof Gary Frost, Imperial College London
Understanding the interaction between foods and their components and physiology to improve health.
STAR Hub
PI: Dr Kourosh Ahmadi, University of Surrey
Aligning public and planetary health through innovative plant-based products to improve cognitive and mental health across the life course.
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/start-healthy-stay-healthy-star-hub
Contacts
Interested applicants are also welcome to discuss potential research ideas with the OIRC Hub Managers/Leads.
For initial enquiries, please contact the OIRC Coordinator at the British Nutrition Foundation
Find out more about the Diet and Health OIRC https://oirc.org.uk/