Sweet Crosstalk is a multidisciplinary European Training Network built to address the challenge of understanding, at a molecular level, how glycans are involved at the human mucosa–microbiota interface, and how this correlates with human well-being. Research into the human microbiome has reshaped the paradigm of our health and disease. In order to advance further, the time has arrived to understand it at a molecular level. Glycans dominate the microbiota-host interface and are thus ideally positioned to modulate these complex interactions. The research strategy of the Sweet Crosstalk programme focuses on optimal synergy between chemistry and biology. Smart chemistry drives the research to get a molecular-level grip on the role of these glycocodes and their interacting proteins, and advances in biology directs the research. The high quality and credibility of our consortium is ensured by a strong private-public partnership with complementary expertise ranging from chemical synthesis, biochemistry, structural biology to microbiology and cell biology. Our 7 academic groups are all renowned leaders in the glycoscience and microbiome fields, whereas the complementary 4 SMEs are specialized in glycan-based diagnostics and prophylactic therapies. This unique combination of scientific excellence and industry know-how covers the entire process from obtaining fundamental insight to the development of innovative early diagnostics and glycotherapeutics. Sweet Crosstalk also represents a unique research platform to train 15 outstanding Early Stage Researchers to be the new generation of innovative scientists with expert knowledge and skills in interdisciplinary glycoscience and human microbiome research. Our international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary training programme will equip them with the necessary scientific and transferable skills that will make them highly competitive for both top European research institutions and the healthcare/biotech job market.

People want to live a long and healthy life and there is a huge demand for food products to enable this. Among consumers, the most desired health benefits in food products and supplements are ‘supports immune function’ and ‘increases resistance to infections’. NutriLeads is a dynamic Health Ingredients company developing crop-derived food ingredients with clinically proven health benefits. With its proprietary lead ingredient NL01, having completed preclinical data and proven safety in humans, NutriLeads is on track to become the first company to launch an ingredient with an approved health claim for supporting immune function and increasing infection resistance. Targeted end-users of NL01 containing food products (dietary supplements, medical- and functional foods) are young adults, adults, elderly and patients, aiming to support their health and immune status. Nutrileads selected a common crop from which NL01 can be isolated, a game-changer for its commercial success,and developed the isolation process for NL01 up to small scale industrial plant production. In this project, Nutrileads will perform medium scale-up of the production process to 250 kg. Nutrileads will complete the data package for NL01 with a clinical study in a relevant population with increased infection risk to support the health claims on NL01, register NL01 as ‘Novel Food’ and obtain European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regulatory advice on registration as ‘Food for Specific Medical Purposes’. NutriLeads will generate revenues from out-licensing NL01 to large companies in the food industry. Market leaders Abbott, Nestlé, Friesland Campina, Danone, Fresenius regularly in-licence components for inclusion in their products; Nestlé and DSM have already shown interest in Nutrileads’ products. Nutrileads works towards market entry and first deals during or directly after this project with a projected best-case cumulative revenues of €115 million in 2026, representing >46x the EC grant.