The nutrition-responsiveness of the immune system: interplay between infectious diseases and diet-related metabolic diseases and the potential for food-based solutions (NUTRIMMUNE) 2022

The French National Research Agency, in partnership with Seven countries (Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and United Kingdom) is launching a call, named NUTRIMMUNE, for proposals under the JPI HDHL. The initiative aims to promote international research on nutrition and health. The global budget for this action will be of 8,27 millions of euros.

The aim of this call is to support transnational, collaborative research projects that gain a better understanding of the interactions between nutrition and immunity within the context of its interplay between infectious diseases and diet-related metabolic diseases.

The proposals should address at least one of the following topics:

• Establishing the cause-and-effect relationship between nutrition, immune function and infectious diseases in the context of diet-related metabolic disorders. Building on existing knowledge to further identify mechanisms of action (including common molecular pathways), projects will:
  • Advance understanding of how nutrition, foods and dietary patterns modulate immune system homeostasis, response (e.g., inflammation), dysregulation and susceptibility to infectious disease across the life course in people with diet-related metabolic diseases.
  • Explore how nutrition may contribute to infectious disease risk in people with diet-related metabolic diseases at various stages including prevention of, severity of, recovery from, and rehabilitation after the infectious disease.

• Development of innovative food solutions.
  Proof of principle studies are desired in order to support the development of effective health improvement strategies and/or food products to promote a healthy immune system in people with diet-related metabolic disease and their application at any stage of the infectious disease process.

Each consortium should include 3 to 6 partners eligible for funding from at least three different countries participating to this call and a maximum of 2 additional partners participating to the call with their own fund. No more than two partners eligible for funding from the same country will be accepted within the same consortium. Subject to the rules of the various funders, public research partners, as well as hospitals, private research organisations, private companies and associations may join the call. ANR will only fund the French partners of the selected projects. Selected projects will be funded for an initial period of three years. A detailed description of the eligibility requirements can be found in the call text.