Innovate3X - 10
Joining up Nutrition Science Across Domains to Deliver Actionable Interventions for Young People's Mental Health
Initiator:
IfM Engage, (Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge), United Kingdom
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​IfM Engage is a knowledge transfer organization embedded in the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) (a division of the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge).
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IfM Engage focuses on facilitating knowledge translation from the research happening at IfM and the wider university to practice, supporting industry and government through the deployment of consulting, education and communication activities.
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The group prepares and supports the implementation of innovation and transformation initiatives by connecting academic research with real-world decision-making and delivery. In general the methods deployed are versatile and can be adapted to various contexts/sectors. IfM Engage have much experience to deploy our approaches in all the 4 sectors (Nutrition, Mobility, Energy and Housing).
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IfM Engage’s work draws on interdisciplinary approaches and has run activities in a variety of sectors including Food, Energy, Mobility and Construction. Across the sectors, the focus is on innovation and operations management, sustainability and resilience management, policy studies, systems engineering and digitalization and social sciences, in the context of European and global agendas for sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth.
Case studies which describe IfM Engage capabilities include:
https://engage.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/e-wave-powering-the-future-of-electric-shipping/
https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/insights/sustainability/
https://engage.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/project/eit-food-roadmapping-case-study/
Desired Outcome:
IfM Engage – as one of the areas within SMAR3TS - is looking for innovative approaches to join up nutrition science across domains in order to deliver actionable interventions that improve young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health challenges among young people are increasing, driven by complex and interrelated factors including diet, food environments, social conditions, stress, inequality and education systems. While emerging research highlights strong links between nutrition, gut-brain health, food systems and mental wellbeing, this knowledge remains fragmented across scientific domains and rarely embedded in real-world practice.
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Within the SMAR3TS project, this I3X focuses on integrating evidence from nutrition science, food systems research, mental health and public health, and translating it into implementable interventions for education, healthcare and community settings. The objective is to move beyond isolated research insights and enable coordinated, evidence-informed solutions that support prevention, early intervention and recovery for young people’s mental health.
R&I Stages:
The research areas are continuously updated and hence we have approaches that are at most stages in the TRL (from pilot to mainstream).
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The Innovate3X (I3X) challenge (described here as a call to innovate solutions for resilience, restoration and regeneration) invites research and innovation talent within the SMAR3TS project to contribute to the development of cross-disciplinary, nutrition-informed mental health interventions through secondments at IfM Engage.
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To address this I3X challenge, future secondees could work on identifying solutions related to evidence integration, innovation design, policy alignment, impact assessment and stakeholder coordination, supporting the translation of nutrition and food system research into real-world mental health outcomes.
This I3X is Looking for Skills and Capabilities across Disciplines for:
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Expertise in nutrition and/or mental health
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Capabilities to understand, develop and deploy innovation in mental health environments
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Ability to work with different types of stakeholders in the mental health ecosystems.
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Capability to bring key players in the discussion to develop key solutions to main challenges
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Important:
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SMAR3TS Secondments are open only to SMAR3TS Consortium Partners.
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Secondments aligned to any I3X can be undertaken at either the Initiating Parter premises and/or other SMAR3TS Consortium Partner premises.
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Regardless of where you are undertaking work on an I3X, you are obligated to ensure the aligned I3X Initiator Project Contact, Lead / Responsible aligned Work Package Leader, as well as the SMAR3TS Project Management Team are kept fully up-to-date with the progress of your contribution to your secondment aligned I3X - Refer to the detailed information 'About Secondments - What are Secondments'.​​
Examples of Challenges that Need to be Addressed
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Fragmented scientific evidence: Knowledge on nutrition, food systems and mental health is dispersed across disciplines, limiting its usability for practitioners and policymakers.
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Market & Adoption-related challenges: Evidence-based interventions struggle to scale due to weak links between research, innovation and implementation environments.
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Regulation & Policy: Limited integration of nutrition-mental health evidence into education, health and food policy frameworks.
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Societal & Cultural Factors: Variations in food environments, social norms and access to healthy diets influence mental health outcomes and intervention effectiveness.
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Impact Assessment: Lack of shared metrics to assess mental health outcomes linked to nutrition and food system interventions.
This specific I3X connects to the focus on Mental Health improvements/Food and Nutrition and joining up the understanding across different domains.
Background work:
https://engage.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/project/ypmh-mental-health-support-roadmap/
Initiator Institution (IfM Engage @ the University of Cambridge) Contact for this I3XS
Project Leads:
Peter Templeton, Executive Director Strategic Development, IfM Engage, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge - ptw23@cam.ac.uk
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Charlotte Catignani, Third Party Associate, IfM Engage, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge - cc250@cam.ac.uk
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NOTE:
Click here for instructions on how to plan for a secondment.
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Alignment to Work-Package/s
SMAR3TS domains that are relevant to this I3X:
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Lead Work Package, Nutrition – sustainable, secure and resilient food systems.
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SMAR3TS Nutrition Work Package Lead Contact: Assoc. Prof. Letizia Mortara, University of Cambridge, IfM, lm367@cam.ac.uk
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Alignment to Resilience, Restoration, Regeneration (R3)
Resilience is central to this initiative, as the project seeks to develop interventions that not only address current mental health challenges among youth but also build their long-term capacity to cope with stress, adversity, and systemic pressures. By embedding nutrition-based approaches into education, healthcare, and community systems, SMAR3TS fosters environments that support adaptive, health-promoting behaviours, thereby enhancing young people's psychological and physiological resilience.
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The idea of regeneration is also relevant, particularly through the project's emphasis on food systems. A regenerative food system doesn't just sustain but actively restores ecological and human health. By linking gut-brain research with sustainable nutrition and local food environments, the project promotes interventions that benefit both mental wellbeing and environmental stewardship—advancing regenerative health and ecosystems in tandem.
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Lastly, restoration reflects the project's commitment to healing and recovery, addressing the growing mental health crisis among youth. By translating fragmented scientific knowledge into coordinated, real-world actions, SMAR3TS offers a restorative approach that repairs the disconnect between research and practice, and between young people and the systems that shape their health.
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Related Keywords
Nutrition Science; Food Systems; Mental Health; Young People Wellbeing; Public Health; Sustainable Diets; Food Environments; Health Innovation; Evidence-to-Impact; Knowledge Translation; Policy-Informed Innovation; Preventive Health; Societal Resilience; Sustainability; Systems Thinking; Social and Economic Concerns; Technology.