ERA-HDHL (2020) - Prevention of Undernutrition for older adults

Development of targeted nutrition for prevention of undernutrition for older adults (PREVNUT)

In January 2020, the JPI HDHL launched PREVNUT, the 5th call organized under the umbrella of ERA-Net ERA-HDHL to promote collaborative international research on nutrition and health.

Background

Consistent with the global increase of lifespan around the world, the number of older citizens is constantly rising. Following the WHO estimation, the number of citizens over sixty will double between 2002 and 2025, to reach a population of 1.2 billion in 2025. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to undernutrition, defined as a state resulting from a defective food intake or uptake (nutrient deficiencies) that leads to an altered body composition and to a weight loss. Prevention of undernutrition is critical. Undernutrition correlates with a general decline in health conditions (aggravation of both physical and cognitive/mental deficiencies), with an increased number (and duration) of hospital stays, increased frailty and poor health, and finally with a higher rate of mortality. Research providing a better understanding of how food is metabolised in the body, how nutrients are made available for absorption and the development of new tailored foods designed to overcome undernutrition can be part of the solution.

Aim of the call

The aim of this call is to support transnational and transdisciplinary research projects that will improve the prevention of undernutrition in older adults. Proposals should focus on one or both of the following topics:

  • Improved understanding of how the balance between nutrition, lifestyle and physical exercise can prevent undernutrition. The studies should focus on the underlying biological mechanisms of the bioavailability, assimilation and metabolism of the macro- and/or micronutrients in food or food products and show how lifestyle and physical activity could modify these processes.
  • Development of innovative food products. The developed product should be based on new research on metabolism, on macro- and/or micronutrient bioavailability and absorption in older adults.
Participating countries
Country Funding Organisation Abbreviation
Belgium* The Research Foundation - Flanders FWO
France French National Research Agency ANR
Germany Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture BMEL (represented by BLE)
Ireland Health Research Board HRB
Ireland Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine DAFM
Israel Ministry of Science and Technology MOST
Italy* Italian Institute of Public Health Istituto Superiore di Sanità ISS
Italy Ministry for Universities and Research MUR
Latvia* Ministry of Education and Science IZM
Norway The Research Council of Norway RCN
Poland* National Centre for Research and Development NCBR
Spain National Institute of Health Carlos III ISCIII
United Kingdom Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BBSRC (part of UKRI)
United Kingdom Medical Research Council MRC (part of UKRI)

* Did not fund research projects in this call

Funded projects
Project Coordinator
AMBROSIA Amedeo Amedei
University of Florence, Italy
APPETITE Dr. Dorothee Volkert
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute for Biomedicine of Aging, Germany
CHOKO-AGE Francesco Galli
University of Perugia, Italy
EAT4AGE Paula Varela
Nofima, Norway
FORTIPHY Claire Sulmont-Rossé
INRAE, France
PROMED-COG Dr Claire McEvoy
Queen's University Belfast, UK
More Information

Research Framework

Contact Call Secretariat: ANR (France) JPI-HDHLCalls@agencerecherche.fr

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s
H2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement n.696300

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