About us
Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) is a research initiative led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in partnership with Tufts University and School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Phase 1 of IMMANA – funded by UK Aid from the UK Government ran from 2015 to 2019, with impressive interdisciplinary impact. Read all about it in the Phase 1 'Outputs and Impact' summary:
Following Phase 1, an expanded and enhanced £13.6M Phase 2 is now under way (2019-2024), co-funded by UK Aid and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
IMMANA’s objectives are to:
- Stimulate the development of innovative methodological approaches and novel metrics in agriculture and food systems for improved health and nutrition;
- Build a cadre of emerging leaders skilled in developing and applying cutting-edge methods and metrics;
- Facilitate learning, sharing and new interdisciplinary research collaborations;
- Develop scientific evidence to inform policies and investments in agriculture and food systems for improved nutrition and health.
To achieve these objectives three inter-locking and synergistic programme workstreams have been established:
- Competitive Research Grants directed at accelerating the development of new and innovative interdisciplinary metrics and methods, filling the key knowledge gaps including theory-driven impact evaluation;
- Research Fellowships aim to build a cadre of emerging leaders in agriculture and food systems, nutrition, and health research;
- The Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy – a global network of researchers, practitioners and policymakers working at the intersections of agriculture-food systems, nutrition and health. The ANH Academy convenes this community through an annual Academy Week conference, online and face to face training; as well as through promoting interdisciplinary dialogue and institutional linkages by facilitating collaborative work under relevant thematic areas.
Under Phase 1 the ANH Academy provided world-class learning labs, constituted expert technical working groups and created platforms for researchers of all levels to share cutting-edge evidence. Phase 2 builds on these activities with the establishment of a new synthesis centre to facilitate systematic reviews, synthesise tools, methods, metrics and data, as well as a comprehensive programme to strengthen the capacity of researchers to undertake ground-breaking work linking agriculture, nutrition and health. Underpinning these initiatives is a research uptake and communications platform that ensures rapid sharing, development and use of the best tools and approaches emerging from IMMANA Grants, Fellowships and the wider world of research and practice.
For more information please contact Ore Kolade (ore.kolade@lshtm.ac.uk).
What we do
IMMANA consists of three interrelated workstreams:
- Competitive Research Grants to Develop Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA Grants)
- Career development Fellowships for Emerging Leaders in Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health Research (IMMANA Fellowships)
- Agriculture, Nutrition & Health Academy - a global research network in agriculture and food systems for improved nutrition and health.