Dear all,
As the year draws to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting our BBSRC-OIRC Consumer Lab over the last year. Reflecting on the last 12 months, we’ve transformed an idea into a functioning ‘hub,’ with over 175 members, drawn from academia and industry! Along the way, we’ve also supported two highly successful ECR events and we’ve held our first funding call. In response to some exceptional applications, I’m delighted to announce that we have been able to fund the following projects from our Impact Account. Congratulations to these successful applicants!
A summary of each project will appear on our Consumer Lab website very soon, and we’ll be updating you on their progress at Consumer Lab events and communications throughout 2024.
Business Interaction Vouchers
- AIRES (Art Infusion for Healthier Choices) – Laura Wilkinson (PI, Swansea University) and Louise Nelson (Non-University Partner, Twisted Orange Ltd)
- Developing a novel computational model to understand drivers of food choice – Suzanne Higgs (PI, University of Birmingham), Lei Zhang (Co-I, University of Birmingham), Jeff Brunstrom (Co-I, University of Bristol), Annika Flynn (Co-I, University of Bristol), Liesbeth Zandstra (Non-University partner, Unilever Foods Innovation Centre Wageningen), and Rene Lion (Non-University partner, Unilever Foods Innovation Centre Wageningen)
- “Finding Healthy Online”: A project to share and initiate research-industrial insight on how online supermarket food environments can support healthier more sustainable diets for consumers – Sally Moore (PI, University of Leeds), Yael Benn (Co-I, Manchester Metropolitan University), and Charlie Parker (Non-University partner, Ocado Retail Ltd.)
- Reducing the carbon footprint of a high street restaurant chain by nudging consumers toward healthier, lower carbon meals – Katy Tapper (PI, City University of London), Janina Steinmetz (Co-I, City University of London), Christian Reynolds (Co-I, City University of London), Cherry Dojos (Non University partner, Pizza Express)
- Understanding multi-component food-items and their influence on eating behaviour: multi-disciplinary research programme development and supporting pilot work – Laura Wilkinson (PI, Swansea University), Suzanne Higgs (Co-I, University of Birmingham), Amanda Lloyd (Co-I, Aberystwyth University/ AberInnovation), Pamela Thompson (Co-I, Aberystwyth University/ AberInnovation), Sophie Vinoy (Non-University partner, Mondelez International Research and Development).
Feasibility collaborative award
- Food in primary schools – studying children’s real-world food choice and dietary behaviour – Hannah Ensaff (PI, University of Leeds), Matt Homer (Co-I, University of Leeds), and Mike Travis (Non-University partner, SchoolGrid)
Looking to next year, we’re excited to build on this momentum. Early in 2024 we’ll be launching our next funding call, with an expected timeline for expressions of interest in February/March (updates to follow in January!). We’re also looking forward to launching our Flexible Mobility Award, which will fund up to £100K to support the mobility of early-career and industry researchers to develop new skills and to experience different working environments.
We also have other big plans for 2024. In particular, we’re delighted to announce that in April 2024 we will be sponsoring an ECR event that will form part of the British Feeding and Drinking Group meeting in Cambridge. If you know any ECR’s who are not a member of Consumer Lab then please encourage them to sign up for free membership here.
On behalf of the Consumer Lab team, I wish you a joyous holiday season, and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Warm regards,
Jeff Brunstrom
On Behalf of the Consumer Lab Executive Committee
(Hub manager – Dr. Alejandro Sanchez Monsalve; Co-I’s – Dr. Dani Ferriday and Prof. Louise Dye; Head of Impact Development at the University of Bristol – Lisa Kehoe; Industrial co-lead – Dr. David Mela)