Strengthening food and nutrition security (FNS) in the EU requires a move towards a diet that supports sustainable food consumption and production. To gauge the policy reforms needed for this major societal challenge, the SUSFANS-consortium will identify how food production and nutritional health in the EU can be aligned. The multidisciplinary research agenda of SUSFANS will build the conceptual framework, the evidence base and analytical tools for underpinning EU-wide food policies with respect to their impact on consumer diet and their implications for nutrition and public health, the environment, the competitiveness of the EU agri-food sectors, and global FNS. Based on a conceptual model of the food chain and its stakeholders, SUSFANS will develop suitable metrics and identify major drivers for sustainable FNS, integrate data and modelling, and develop foresight for European sustainable FNS. Central asset is a coherent toolbox which integrates two complementary strands of state-of-the-art quantitative analysis: (i) micro-level modelling of nutrient intakes, habitual dietary patterns and preferences of individual consumers, and (ii) macro-level modelling of food demand and supply in the context of economic, environmental and demographic changes on various time-scales and for multiple sub-regions. The tools will bridge the current gap between policy analysis on the EU agri-food sector and the nutrition-health sector. Case studies and scenarios based on stakeholder input from consumers, food industry, farmers/fishermen, government and the scientific community, are instrumental in achieving this goal. The project will provide a comprehensive set of tools for assessing sustainable FNS in Europe, centred around the implications of the current diet for the sustainability of production and consumption in the EU, and the options for the EU agri-food sector (including fisheries and aquaculture) to improve future diets in the near future (up to 5 years) and in the long run (one or more decades ahead).

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction resulting from dysregulated immune responses to infection, affecting almost 50 million people yearly. Sepsis is a major global health challenge and a leading cause of death worldwide. Moreover, people surviving sepsis often suffer post-sepsis immunosuppression, a long-lasting state of immune dysfunction predisposing them to infections, autoimmune and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and long-term reduced fitness. The molecular mechanisms driving post-sepsis immunosuppression remain largely elusive. Furthermore, predicting which patients will survive or develop immunosuppression is currently impossible. BEATsep will tackle this challenge by combining the expertise of physicians, clinician scientists and immunologists in top European institutions. We will, for the first time, longitudinally assess unique immunological and clinical parameters and combine them to: i) gain insight into the long-term immunological consequences of septic shock; ii) identify novel markers to identify patients at risk; and iii) unravel molecular mechanisms driving post-sepsis immunosuppression. We will also develop strategies to improve the stratification of acute sepsis survivors to identify patients with a higher risk of sepsis-associated NCDs and comorbidities. BEATsep will have significant societal, scientific, and economic impacts, as efficient prevention of sepsis-induced comorbidities could save significant amounts within healthcare budgets and potentially improve the quality of life for millions worldwide who suffer from the long-term effects of sepsis.