Dialogue with Research Funders and End Users

Coordinator: Dick Fitzgerald at UL - dick.fitzgerald@ul.ie

Background

The successful development of food and health research requires regular communication between researchers, funders and end-users. Collaborative planning is needed for allocation of resources for:

• Infrastructure
• Skills
• Networks

Planned Activities

In excess of €50m has been committed during 2007 - 2008 to food and health research in Ireland. As part of it's remit, IFHRA will ensure that this:

• is coordinated effectively
• obtains maximum end-user exploitation
• facilitates the development of a skilled work force

Large Collaborative Projects

• National Functional Foods Research Centre
• Marine Functional Foods Research Centre
• Joint Irish Nutrigenomics Institute
• National Adults Food Survey
• National Research Centre for Diet, Obesity and Diabetes
• Food Safety – Monitoring and Surveillance
• Effect of vitamin C and E supplementation on pre-eclampsia in diabetic pregnancy (DAPIT)
• Effect of lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation on progression of age-related macular degeneration (CARMA)
• Antioxidant status and age-related macular degeneration risk in India (INDEYE)
• UK CRC NI Centre of Excellence in Public Health
• Genomics of Gram Negative food Poisoning Bacteria of Animal Origin
• Microbial Quantitative Risk Assessment Network of Ireland