NWO announces Industrial Partnership Programme grant for research on better nutrition for our intestinal bacteria

NWO announces Industrial Partnership Programme grant for research on better nutrition for our intestinal bacteria

(PRESS RELEASE) THE HAGUE, 2-Apr-2020 — /EuropaWire/ — A consortium led by Paul de Vos (University Medical Center Groningen) will undertake a research into better nutrition for our intestinal bacteria. The project is within the Industrial Partnership Programme (IPP).

This project, based on the results of a previous public-private partnership within the Carbohydrate Competence Centre (CCC), will be funded under the banner of Science PPP and forms part of the Agri&Food top sector. A total of 1.7 million euros has been made available for this collaborative venture between the worlds of research and business, with 50% of the investment coming from the business community.

A better life through better nutrition for our intestinal bacteria
Lead applicant: Prof. Paul de Vos (University Medical Center Groningen)
Consortium: University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Maastricht University, Wageningen University & Research, Nuscience, Avebe, Sensus
The gastrointestinal tract contains 100 trillion bacteria that turn complex sugars into products the body needs to keep our metabolism, immune system and mental health operating at optimum level. Unfortunately, our Western diet is not rich enough in these complex sugars, which means that asthma, allergies and diabetes are becoming increasingly common. When there is a shortage of complex sugars, intestinal bacteria use more proteins and generate unhealthy products in the process. In response to a higher intake of plant proteins in particular, more complex sugars seem to be needed to prevent the production of ‘health-reducing’ substances. In the current project, the consortium will investigate how, by changing complex sugar combinations in food, we can encourage bacteria in various parts of the intestine to form products that are primarily good for our health. The expectation is that the researchers will not only be able to improve people’s metabolic and immune systems, but also their ability to learn.

About the Industrial Partnership Programme (IPP)
IPP is one of the public-private partnerships within the Science PPP fund. It is designed to stimulate public-private partnership between at least one company and one knowledge institution. The projects are financed by both the business community and the Dutch Research Council (NWO), with each party providing 50%. The scale of these projects can vary between one and two million euros. IPP was a funding programme available within the Science PPP fund for new initiatives to further the roadmaps of a number of top sectors – Chemicals, Energy, High Tech Systems and Materials, and Agri&Food – as part of the 2018-2019 Knowledge and Innovation Contract. This was the last round of the Science PPP fund: it has already been agreed that the programme will not return as part of the 2020-2023 Knowledge and Innovation Contract.

Further details about the Science PPP fund can be found at https://www.nwo.nl/en/research-and-results/programmes/ENW+PPS+Fund. To find out more about the public-private partnership opportunities within the 2020-2023 Knowledge and Innovation Contract, go to https://www.nwo.nl/en/research-and-results/programmes/nwo/knowledge-and-innovation-covenant/index.html.

For more information, please contact:

Spokespersons NWO
Olivier Morot o.morot@nwo.nl
t.: +31 (0)6 53 17 53 77
Poppy Savenije p.savenije@nwo.nl
t. +31 (0)6 83 89 37 13

Outside hours, the spokespersons can be reached via
t. +31 (0)70 344 07 29

Source: NWO