Call for projects ANR-SAMS

The prevention of chronic diseases and the adaptation of dietary behaviors are public health issues.

To address these issues, the France 2030 research program “Food Systems, Microbiomes and Health” (PEPR SAMS) aims to a better understanding of 1) the links between environment, microbiomes, and human health, and 2) the interactions between consumer behavior, the information received by consumers, and food production models.

The call for projects ANR-SAMS follows on from the selection of 10 laureate projects selected during the first call. It is also a continuation of the funding of 9 focus projects whose objective is to provide the scientific community with tools and platforms to facilitate their research work.

This call for projects aims to support original and innovative research projects on the same thematic areas as the first call.

Thematic areas on microbiomes and health:

1. 1. Identifying links between environmental factors, microbiomes, and host health, and understanding modes of action
   2. Understanding the mechanisms of host-microbiome interactions in health and disease
   3. Biomarkers of exposure, diagnosis, and prognosis of the host-microbiome relationship
   4. Host-microbiome interactions for prevention and therapy

Thematic areas on food systems:

1. 1. Dynamics of food preferences, behaviors, and practices, and determinants of changes at the individual and collective levels
   2. Experimentation and evaluation of intervention measures aimed at promoting changes in food behaviors and practices that are beneficial to health and the environment
   3. Testing and evaluating measures to prevent food insecurity and reduce social inequalities in health related to food
   4. Analyzing and evaluating measures aimed at concurrent changes in food supply and demand, particularly through the development of local food systems

For this 2nd ANR-SAMS call, all areas of research are open, and projects covering the thematic fields least explored by the laureate projects are encouraged.

In the field of “Microbiomes and Health” the focus is on human microbiomes regardless of their location, as well as on the interrelationships between different microbiota and host organs. Projects addressing the thematic areas of axes 2, 3, and 4 are encouraged, as are projects involving data science applied to the thematic axes.

In the field of “Food Systems” proposed projects must include a strong focus on understanding the dynamics at work in the field of food consumption and analyzing levers for action. Multidisciplinary research projects are expected, drawing on economics, sociology, legal and political sciences, public health and environmental sciences, nutrition and epidemiology, psychology and behavioral sciences, food and sensory sciences, among others.

For interface projects, proposals are expected to provide new knowledge in both areas of the PEPR. It is recommended that projects including one or more
nutritional interventions ensure that their conclusions on human health are generic.

This call aims to support projects lasting up to 4 years with funding ranging from €1.5 million to €1.75 million for the “Microbiomes and Health” pillar, from €800,000 to €1 million for the “Sustainable Consumption and Food” pillar, and from €1 million to €1.5 million for projects at the interface between the two pillars.