New research programme strengthens collaboration on nutrition and health

What do we eat? How does the body absorb nutrients? And can new technologies help us become better at measuring what food does to our bodies?

These are some of the questions that researchers from the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University will work together on as part of the new research programme Food, Nutrition and Healthy Living.

The programme starts in October 2026 and runs until the end of 2029. Its ambition is to bring together strong research environments in areas including nutrition, clinical research, public health, food and technology, and to create more collaboration across the two faculties.

Professor Christina C. Dahm from the Department of Public Health is one of the programme's four directors.

"We already have strong research environments in this field, but there is a lot to be gained by connecting them more closely. I hope and believe that the programme can strengthen the collaborations we already have, initiate new ones and create opportunities for new projects and research talent," she says.

The research programme builds, among other things, on collaborations and experience from the Faculty of Health Sciences' existing research network, The Food and Nutrition Network. However, the network and the new research programme are two separate initiatives.

Food, Nutrition and Healthy Living will have its own budget, its own organisational structure and specific research activities through to 2029.

The programme will connect the Faculty of Health Sciences' strengths in diet, nutrition and health with the Faculty of Technical Sciences' expertise in areas including food, analytical methods and technology.

The programme is based on three closely connected work packages.

The first will establish a cohort of 500 people from the Aarhus area with different dietary patterns. The second will investigate how the body digests, absorbs and utilises nutrients, while the third will examine the biological effects of diet and develop new methods for measuring them.

Clinical Professor Christian Lodberg Hvas from the Department of Clinical Medicine is one of the four programme directors and the contact person for the work package investigating nutrient absorption and utilisation.

"We have a lot of expertise in the different research groups, and we need to get to know each other better. The three work packages need to interact," he says.

One of the areas the researchers aim to better understand is why people can have different nutritional needs.

"Many patients, as well as many healthy people, have specific nutritional needs. Nutrition is not one size fits all. There are some general recommendations that are beneficial for the vast majority, but we need to become better at adding nuance to our knowledge so that we can also help those who need something different," says Christian Lodberg Hvas.

Professor and Consultant Søren Gregersen from the Department of Clinical Medicine and Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus is also a programme director and the contact person for the work package on the biological effects of diet.

"We want to gain a better understanding of how diet affects our metabolic health, while also developing better methods for measuring these effects. This can bring us closer to understanding what actually happens in the body when, for example, we change our diet towards a more plant-based diet containing healthy bioactive compounds," he says.

The fourth programme director is Professor Jette Feveile Young from the Department of Food Science at the Faculty of Technical Sciences. She is the faculty's contact person across all three work packages.

For her, an important part of the programme's potential lies in researchers across the two faculties gaining a better understanding of each other's methods and research questions.

"It is only when we understand each other that we can put together exactly the right projects. When we have the opportunity to establish new collaborations, this typically leads to more ideas, new perspectives and deeper insights," says Jette Feveile Young.

A total of DKK 4.8 million of the programme's budget has been allocated to Seed and Synergy funding. Researchers from the two faculties can apply for funding for new projects, with cross-faculty collaborations given priority. Calls for applications will be launched in 2027 and 2028.

In the longer term, the research programme is intended to provide a foundation for larger externally funded research grants and new initiatives in the field of nutrition.

"It is a tremendous recognition of the potential of this research field that the faculties are prioritising it in this way. It gives us the opportunity to test new ideas and collaborations that could become the starting point for larger projects and applications in the future," says Christina C. Dahm.

On 23 November 2026, the programme management will invite researchers from the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Technical Sciences to the programme's first joint workshop.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the programme, meet potential collaborators and develop ideas for new projects – including the possibility of subsequently applying for Seed and Synergy funding.

The programme management encourages all researchers with an interest in nutrition, health, food and relevant technologies to participate, even if they are not already involved in the programme.

The registration link for the workshop will be published at a later date.

Adviser Louise Nygaard Kristensen
Aarhus University, Faculty of Health Sciences – Faculty Secretariat
Phone: +45 20 77 20 63
Email: lnk@au.dk