The Academy of Nutrition Sciences welcomes the nutrition spotlight mechanism for research funding
The Academy of Nutrition Sciences welcomes the nutrition spotlight mechanism for research funding announced by BBSRC (the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) yesterday (19 October 2022). BBSRC launches new responsive mode spotlight pilot – UKRI
Nutrition, specifically ‘building stronger biological understanding of the role of nutrition on human health across the life course’, is one of three spotlights in a new responsive mode spotlight mechanism that will be active for one year (i.e. over the next three responsive mode rounds), from October 2022. BBSRC is piloting this new funding mechanism to better signal and communicate areas of strategic interest to the bioscience community.
BBSRC’s stated purpose is ‘to support research, innovation, people, infrastructures and partnerships to advance the frontiers of biology and drive towards a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future. Its unique remit enables us to bring together different communities and sectors, e.g. acting as a nexus for interdisciplinary research that links agriculture (crops and livestock), food, diet, nutrition, and health to plant-based bio-materials, food security, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity, as a highly interconnected system’ - see BBSRC Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025 (ukri.org).
Research is the cornerstone of practice in nutrition and dietetics. Robust research is crucial to understand the origins, mechanisms and management of nutrition-related diseases. The Academy of Nutrition Sciences encourages the nutrition science community to rise to the challenge afforded by this one-year pilot, and stresses the importance of interdisciplinary research in the context of BBSRC’s 5-year strategy Forward Look for UK Bioscience (ukri.org).
The Academy also highlights the importance of reciprocal engagement between nutrition scientists and the BBSRC’s peer review process for grant applications, including Panel memberships, to ensure the right balance of skills is available to BBSRC.