Eurodish: Studying the need for food and health research infrastructures in Europe
Summary
Europe is suffering an increasing incidence of diet-related public health problems, including obesity, heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes and mental disorders. The European Union (EU) and its member states, therefore, face major challenges in promoting health and reducing this disease burden.
Improving health through lifestyle, food and nutrition can help combat such issues but high quality research to design effective strategies is required. EU-wide research collaborations and innovations are essential to improve the efficiency of the, mainly public, research resources and will provide competitive advantage at the global level. To support this, EuroDISH will assess the current needs for food and health research infrastructures in Europe.
Research infrastructures are facilities, resources or services which support the scientific community to conduct top-level research.
They can be divided into:
- Hard research infrastructures:
- Major buildings
- Equipment and instruments
- Knowledge-containing resources (e.g. e-platforms and data banks).
- Soft research infrastructures:
- Unique data management
- Interpretation and handling capacities
- Harmonisation of data and procedures
- Training staff, professional networks and knowledge transfer.
EuroDISH is a three year project funded under the EU 7th Framework Programme. It will focus on the integration of existing food and health research infrastructures, as well as the development of new ones. It will consider the needs of different stakeholders, such as EU and national policy makers, and researchers from a range of disciplines in both the public sector and industry.
Funder
Team
Contact
Professor Lada Timotijevic
Head of Psychological Sciences; Deputy Director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre
Biography
A social psychologist by training, Lada leads pioneering research on the governance of food innovation systems, responsible research and innovation, and digital data systems for food and health infrastructures. Lada has led or contributed to 16 major funded projects, securing over £5 million in research income, and collaborates extensively across disciplines and sectors, shaping European and UK food and health research agendas.
Her expertise spans food and health practices, citizen engagement and citizen science, food policy, risk perception and communication, and food citizenship. Her work aligns with sustainability and public good, supporting SDGs on Zero Hunger, Good Health, and Responsible Consumption. Internationally recognised for her citizen engagement approaches, including citizens’ juries and serious games, she embeds ethical reflexivity and societal perspectives into research and innovation.
Lada actively supports early career researchers, fostering interdisciplinary, impactful work that bridges science and policy. She has published widely in high-impact journals and is Deputy Director of the international Food Nutrition Health Research Infrastructure, contributing to responsible data systems for food and health research. She welcomes collaborations advancing healthy, sustainable, and just food systems.
Researchers
Professor Monique Raats
Co-Director, Institute for Sustainability; Professor; Director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre; School of Psychology Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead
Biography
I am a founding Co-Director of the University's Institute for Sustainability, and director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health (FCBH) Research Centre. Together with the university’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, FCBH was awarded the prestigious 2017/2018 Queen’s Anniversary Prize. FCBH research domains include:
- food-related behaviour and policy interventions to achieve sustainable and healthy lifestyles;
- social, policy and ethical issues relevant to the grand societal challenges such as sustainability and obesity;
- study of food systems from the perspective of significant actors and stakeholders within the system; and
- methodologically advancing food consumer science through exploring novel data sources and methods of data linking.
I previously worked at the Institute of Food Research (now Quadram Institute), Health Education Authority and University of Oxford. My expertise is in the area of public health and behavioural nutrition research, gained on a variety of projects. My research is wide ranging both in terms of topics covered (e.g. food choice, policy development, food safety) and methodologies used (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, stakeholder consultation). I have also been involved in the evaluation of health promotion programmes and developing tools for use in nutrition education. To date I have published over 145 refereed papers, numerous non-refereed publications including 20 book chapters 20 book chapters and have edited two books ("The Psychology of Food Choice" (2006) and "Food for the Ag(e)ing Population" (1st edition 2009; 2nd edition 2016).
From 2011 until June 2018 I was a member of UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and also a member of the Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition (SMCN) from 2012 until June 2018.
I am one of the founding members, member of the Board of Directors (2001-2006) and was secretary (2004-2006) of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. The society was set up to combine interests in diet and physical activity; and to stimulate, promote and advocate innovative research and policy in the area. The society now plays an important role in fostering excellence in research in this field through its annual meetings and journal called the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Dr Bernadette Egan
Senior Research Fellow/Deputy Chair University of Surrey Ethics Committee
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Our research is supported by research groups and centres of excellence.