25/08/2009: New initiatives in environment and human health

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Medical Research Council (MRC), Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) and Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) are pleased to announce support for two new programmes of research that will tackle the major roles environmental and social factors play in human health.

The vision for these initiatives is the establishment of truly interdisciplinary teams of researchers, conducting high quality state-of-the-art innovative research, addressing national/international research priorities that will inform and impact on policy and practice.

Environmental and Social Ecology of Human Infectious Disease

To respond proactively to the threat of novel pathogens and emerging infections we need to generate new insights into how natural and social environments affect the emergence and spread of human infectious diseases. Since most emerging infections are zoonotic, there will be a particular focus on the animal reservoir as a source of infectious disease and how animal pathogens spill over into human populations and spread through communities in the UK and other parts of the world.

The call for proposals will be announced in early September 2009, followed up by a workshop in early October 2009 to facilitate new interdisciplinary collaborations to form and respond to the call.

Environmental Exposure and Health

To reduce the adverse health effects of contaminated water, land, food or air we need to provide important new knowledge on the interconnections and pathways between environmental pollutants and stressors, exposures, early effects (eg biomarkers) and health outcomes in humans, including variations in susceptibility and the definition of health risks. This integrated understanding is vital to inform development of evidence-based policies.

The call for proposals is expected in September 2009.