Deadline Date: July 03, 2026
The Indian Council of Medical Research is soliciting innovative proposals to develop, prototype, and evaluate aspirational, affordable, and nutritionally effective food products tailored for adolescent girls and WRA.
The focus areas of the initiative include product innovation and design, aspirational positioning and consumer-centric design, behavioural and social insights integration, nutritional efficacy and bioavailability, delivery, scalability and sustainability, and packaging, branding, and market fit. The initiative offers grant funding of up to ₹1 Crore for a duration of one year.
Applicants are invited to create food products that are nutrient-dense or fortified, particularly with iron, using bioavailable nutrient forms and synergistic ingredients to enhance absorption. Products may take the form of snacks, drinkable formats, or novel and convenient options like gummies, chewables, or hybrid food-supplement formats, incorporating regionally relevant flavours and ingredients. Emphasis is placed on modern, trendy, and identity-driven branding that aligns with the aspirations of the target groups while minimizing stigma and promoting emotional ownership. Projects should leverage existing consumption habits, address social and behavioural barriers, and consider the tension between immediate taste and long-term health benefits.
Proposals must demonstrate effective micronutrient delivery, particularly around 4–5 mg of iron per serving, consider dietary patterns such as vegetarian diets with low bioavailability, and have the potential to improve measurable health outcomes like haemoglobin levels. Solutions should integrate into public delivery platforms, commercial retail, and e-commerce channels, and maintain cost-effective production, shelf stability, nutrient retention, and feasibility for local manufacturing and supply chains. Packaging should be attractive, modern, socially shareable, and clearly communicate benefits without being classified as ultra-processed or HFSS foods. Products should fit mainstream food categories, with smaller portion sizes that can be incorporated into daily diets without disrupting behaviour.
Eligible applicants include universities and research centres with nutritional or food science expertise, companies and startups in FMCG, fortification, or product innovation, and non-profit organisations with mandates in nutrition, health, or community engagement.
For more information, visit ICMR.
