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Food&HealthLab is a new research concept focused on users and supported in the open innovation and real scenarios. This initiative includes a series of actions to promote health, healthy and sustainable food strategies, nutritional intervention and improvement of the quality of life within the branches of the Universitat, at a local, national and international level. It is aimed, on the one hand, to carry out health interventions in an interdisciplinary environment (with dietitians, nutritionists, food technologists, psychologists, geneticists, experts in preventive medicine, physiotherapist and experts in physical and sport activities), to increase the gastronomic and culinary strategies to adapt menus to individuals and/or patients and developing teams, methods and new tools in health environments, nutrition, gastronomy, physical activity and quality of life with applicability to society. Food&HealthLab is a space with the suitable conditions of active participation to know the social reality of health and food. Food&Health Living-Lab (Food&HealthLabLL) is the Living-Lab of the Universitat de València specialised in health, nutrition, physical activity and gastronomy that is part of the European Network of Living Labs (ENOLL). It arises as an initiative of the Policies for Excellence Office (OPEX) of the University of Valencia and is funded by the institutional innovation programme of the OPEX and by the programme to promote innovative ecosystems of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports through the VLC/CAMPUS, Campus of International Excellence programme.

Food&HealthLL is an innovation environment centred on service users and facilities of the Universitat de València. It aims at involving all actors (the university community and its productive and territorial environment), promoting innovative development and solutions for health, nutrition, food and physical activity problems from a diverse scientific focus. All in order to discover emerging scenarios and to support and explore new ideas, gathering market and technology and fostering the emergence of platforms for public-private action.

The headquarters of Food & HealthLab is located at the Institute of Materials Science and includes three research and dissemination spaces such as:

          ·Gastrolab-Fernando Sapiña in the Institute of Materials Science  from University of Valencia.

          ·University Clinic of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Physiotherapy of the Fundació Lluís Alcanyís-Universitat de València.

          ·Joint Research Unit in Endocrinology, Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics at the La Fe Health Research Institute-University of Valencia.

The specific units of the Food & HealthLLab, encompassed in six pillars (nutrition, gastronomy, physiotherapy, psychology, physical activity and the clinical-biochemical-genetic analysis laboratory) completely interdisciplinary and interconnected within this new LivingLab, have received several awards:

          ·Eggs Studies Institute Research Award (2004)

          ·Award of the Asociación Benéfico-Docente “Profesor Vicente Callao” (Teaching and charitable association “Professor Vicente Callao”) of the Ibero-American Academy of Pharmacy (2004).

          ·“Valencia se Solidariza” XI Award. Modality: Valencian Local Government Social Research Grant (2008).

          ·Excellent in Education Prize awarded by Conselleria de Educación-Consell Social of the University of Valencia (2009).

          ·Cascajares Award for young researchers of food microbiology group of the Spanish Society for Microbiology.

          ·Winner-Gourmand-World Cookbook Awards: Categoría “Best Non Alcoholic Drinks Book in Spain”. El Gran Libro de la Horchata y la Chufa de Valencia. (2015).