The Challenge: Nutrition research is invaluable in helping health professionals make dietary recommendations and consumers make good food choices. But a well-designed and properly powered study can cost millions of dollars.
Our Approach: With the support of the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Communique created the Dry Bean Health Research Program (DBHRP). Each year, DBHRP provides $20,000 in incentive awards to encourage researchers to apply to the National Institutes of Health for funding for studies on beans and human health. After a request for applications is dispursed, a scientific review panel selects the three applications that are most likely to receive significant funding at NIH. We work with those researchers to develop applications and provide the $20,000 awards when the process is complete.
The Results:$645,000 in incentive awards have produced $11.7 million in funding from NIH and other sources. Northarvest was able to leverage its funds to create millions of dollars in research about beans and human health.