European Pathfinder projects gather in Paris to advance precision nutrition
Professor Seppo Vainio to represent the NutriEV Project at the EIC Precision Nutrition Portfolio Conference
How can Europe’s most innovative research projects work together to transform the future of nutrition and health?
This question will bring together researchers, clinicians, industry representatives, policymakers and innovators at the International Joint Conference “Precision Nutrition: Bridging Science, Policy and Innovation”, taking place on 14 September 2026 at the Sorbonne University’s International Conference Centre (CICSU) in Paris. Organised by the NUTRIMMUNE Project, with support from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Programme and the Sorbonne Université Initiative Alimentation, the conference has been designed to encourage scientific exchange, cross-sector collaboration and discussions on how emerging innovations in precision nutrition can be translated into real-world impact.
For the NutriEV Project, the event represents an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration across the EIC Precision Nutrition Pathfinder Portfolio, bringing together projects that are approaching personalised nutrition from different scientific perspectives but with a shared ambition: improving human health through next-generation nutritional science.
A shared vision for precision nutrition
Precision nutrition is rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s most promising research areas, recognising that individual differences in biology, metabolism and lifestyle influence how people respond to food.
The NUTRIMMUNE Project contributes to this vision by investigating how dietary factors shape immune responses across different stages of obesity-related non-communicable diseases. By exploring the complex interactions between nutrition, the microbiome, the glycome and immune health, the project aims to develop personalised nutritional strategies capable of improving metabolic health and supporting immune function.
NutriEV contributes a complementary perspective. Rather than focusing primarily on immune responses, the project investigates food-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as naturally occurring biological messengers that may influence gut health, metabolic regulation and human physiology. Through advanced extracellular vesicle research, glycoscience, microbiome studies and precision diagnostics, NutriEV seeks to uncover entirely new mechanisms through which nutrition may affect human health.
Together, these complementary approaches demonstrate how collaboration across the Precision Nutrition Portfolio can generate knowledge that no single project could achieve alone.
Strengthening collaboration across the EIC Precision Nutrition Portfolio
A highlight of the conference will be the European Innovation Council (EIC) Precision Nutrition Portfolio Synergies session, dedicated to fostering collaboration between the five Pathfinder projects funded under the EIC Precision Nutrition Challenge.
The session will feature spotlight presentations from all 8 projects which make up the portfolio, and will be moderated by Gemma Pham the EIC Programme Manager for Biotechnology; followed by a round-table discussion exploring opportunities to maximise the collective impact of their research.
This conference is a valuable opportunity to bring the Pathfinder projects together in one room to discuss different perspectives, identify potential synergies, and chart a path forward for how all the work being done across the portfolio can be translated into real-world impact. Each project is tackling a different piece of the precision nutrition puzzle, yet we are all working towards a common goal of improving health through nutrition. Our hope is that the conference will result in concrete connections and ideas for collaboration, and that these carry forward well beyond the day itself.
Professor Karine Clément, the Nutrimmune Principal Investigator.
Representing the NutriEV consortium, Professor Seppo Vainio, Project Coordinator, will present the project’s scientific vision and participate in discussions on how collaborative research can accelerate innovation across the precision nutrition landscape.
From fundamental research to societal impact
Beyond scientific presentations, the conference reflects the growing recognition that tackling complex health challenges requires collaboration across multiple sectors.
The programme brings together expertise spanning systems biology, clinical research, innovation, regulation, investment and public policy. Alongside scientific sessions, participants will discuss commercialisation pathways, regulatory challenges and future European health strategies, while poster presentations from early-career researchers will encourage the next generation of scientists to engage with the field.
By bringing together speakers from such diverse backgrounds and sectors, we hope to address important questions relating to how precision nutrition can move from research to real-world use. Among the questions the day will address: What role should industry and policy play in shaping how these innovations reach the public? How can science, industry, and investment work together to bring precision nutrition to scale?
Professor Karine Clément, the Nutrimmune Principal Investigator.
Event information
Precision Nutrition: Bridging Science, Policy and Innovation
Date: 14 September 2026
Venue: Centre International de Conférences (CICSU), Sorbonne Université, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Registration Link: https://framaforms.org/precision-nutrition-conference-bridging-science-policy-and-innovation-1782903549
