Improving Mental Health and Nutrition in Europe (NUTRIMIND)

Project details

The project combines evidence from European population cohorts and clinical trials with multi-omics, computational modeling, behavioral research, and Citizen Science. Taking a life-course and systems perspective, NUTRIMIND examines how biological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors interact to shape mental health, with the aim of identifying prevention strategies that are both feasible and equitable across different populations and stages of life.

IIASA contribution

IIASA contributes its expertise in Citizen Science, participatory research, and multi-actor engagement to connect scientific evidence with citizens' experiences and perspectives. Through the NODES team, IIASA will map existing Citizen Science tools, methodologies, and datasets relevant to diet and mental health, identifying opportunities to build on existing work and address evidence gaps. This will help ensure that citizens' perspectives and the social and structural factors shaping dietary choices are considered alongside biomedical findings.

A central part of this work is the establishment of a Community of Practice (CoP) bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, dietitians and nutritionists, industry representatives, patient and consumer organizations, as well as other stakeholders. Drawing on its experience in facilitating collaborative processes, IIASA will support knowledge exchange and the co-creation of research tools, surveys, activities, and communication strategies, helping ensure that different perspectives inform the project's research and outreach.

IIASA will also contribute to the co-design and development of a Citizen Science mobile application, engaging at least 5,000 participants. The app will enable citizens to contribute data on dietary behaviors and mental health in real-world settings. By combining these insights with existing research evidence, IIASA will help NUTRIMIND move beyond biological associations to better understand the behavioral, social, and cultural influences on dietary choices. Its added value lies in strengthening the participatory dimension of the research, making it more responsive to people's lived experiences and the diverse contexts in which prevention strategies need to have a greater impact.

External partners & collaborators

The NUTRIMIND consortium brings together 16 organizations across 11 countries. Coordinated by the European Food Information Council, the project combines the expertise of:

• The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis;
• the European Food Information Resource AISBL;
• Wageningen University & Research;
• Quadram Institute Bioscience;
• the University of Surrey;
• the Jožef Stefan Institute;
• University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork;
• the Swiss Nutrition and Health Foundation;
• Biomedical Research Networking Center Consortium;
• Southern Catalonia Biomedical Research Institute;
• Ghent University;
• Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan;
• Sciensano; and
• Europroject. Capacity Development in Nutrition, Serbia (participates as an affiliated third party).

Public engagement & communication 

• NUTRIMIND on LinkedIn