RFAs: Nutrient-Dense Food Products for Women and Girls (India)

Deadline: 03-Jul-2026

The Indian Council of Medical Research is inviting innovative proposals to develop, prototype, and evaluate affordable, aspirational, and nutritionally effective food products for adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. The initiative offers grant funding of up to ₹1 Crore for one year. Eligible applicants include universities, research centres, companies, startups, and non-profit organisations working in nutrition, food science, health, FMCG, fortification, product innovation, or community engagement.

Overview

The Indian Council of Medical Research is seeking proposals for innovative food products that can improve nutrition among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.

The initiative supports the development of products that are nutrient-dense, affordable, attractive, convenient, and suitable for daily consumption.

The programme places strong emphasis on nutritional efficacy, consumer appeal, behavioural insights, scalability, and market readiness.

Purpose of the Initiative

The purpose of the initiative is to support the creation of food products that can help address nutritional gaps among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.

The programme encourages applicants to design products that are not only nutritionally effective but also desirable, modern, socially acceptable, and easy to consume.

Projects should combine food science, nutrition, behavioural research, product design, branding, and delivery strategy.

Key Focus Areas

The initiative focuses on product innovation, aspirational food design, consumer-centric branding, behavioural and social insights, nutritional efficacy, micronutrient delivery, iron fortification, bioavailability, product scalability, sustainability, packaging, branding, market fit, public delivery platforms, commercial retail, e-commerce, local manufacturing, and affordable nutrition for adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.

What the Grant Supports

The grant supports the development, prototyping, and evaluation of innovative food products.

Supported activities may include:

• Food product design
• Prototype development
• Nutritional formulation
• Iron fortification
• Bioavailability testing
• Consumer research
• Behavioural insight integration
• Packaging and branding design
• Product evaluation
• Market fit assessment
• Shelf stability testing
• Local manufacturing feasibility
• Delivery model development
• Public and commercial channel planning

Projects should show how the product can improve nutrition while remaining attractive and practical for the target groups.

Funding Amount

The initiative offers grant funding of up to ₹1 Crore.

The project duration is one year.

Applicants should prepare a realistic budget that supports product development, testing, evaluation, and implementation planning within the one-year period.

Target Groups

The proposed food products should be tailored for:

• Adolescent girls
• Women of reproductive age

Products should reflect the needs, preferences, habits, aspirations, and nutritional challenges of these groups.

Product Requirements

Applicants are invited to create food products that are nutrient-dense, affordable, and nutritionally effective.

Products may include:

• Snacks
• Drinkable formats
• Gummies
• Chewables
• Hybrid food-supplement formats
• Novel convenient food options
• Regionally relevant food products

Products should use familiar flavours, ingredients, and formats while offering improved nutritional value.

Nutrition and Iron Delivery Requirements

Proposals should demonstrate effective micronutrient delivery, especially iron.

Products should aim to provide around 4–5 mg of iron per serving.

Applicants should consider:

• Bioavailable nutrient forms
• Synergistic ingredients that enhance absorption
• Vegetarian diets with low iron bioavailability
• Nutrient retention during storage
• Measurable health outcomes such as haemoglobin levels
• Dietary patterns of adolescent girls and women of reproductive age

The proposed product should show potential to improve nutritional outcomes in practical settings.

Consumer-Centric and Aspirational Design

The programme places strong emphasis on aspirational positioning.

Products should be designed in a way that feels modern, desirable, trendy, and identity-driven.

Applicants should avoid stigma-based messaging and instead promote emotional ownership, confidence, and positive association with nutrition.

Strong product concepts should reflect:

• Taste preferences
• Convenience
• Youth appeal
• Regional food culture
• Attractive branding
• Social acceptability
• Daily diet compatibility
• Clear benefit communication

Behavioural and Social Insights

Projects should use behavioural and social insights to improve adoption.

Applicants should consider:

• Existing consumption habits
• Taste preferences
• Social barriers to nutrition
• Stigma linked to fortified or health foods
• The gap between immediate taste and long-term health benefits
• Family and peer influence
• Convenience and daily routines
• Aspirational identity and self-image

The strongest proposals will show how behavioural barriers can be reduced through product design, messaging, and delivery.

Delivery and Scalability

Solutions should be designed for delivery through multiple channels.

Potential channels may include:

• Public delivery platforms
• Commercial retail
• E-commerce channels
• Local supply chains
• Community-based distribution
• Institutional delivery systems

Products should be suitable for cost-effective production, local manufacturing, and scalable distribution.

Packaging and Market Fit

Packaging should be attractive, modern, and socially shareable.

It should clearly communicate product benefits without making the product feel medicinal or stigmatizing.

Applicants should ensure that products:

• Fit mainstream food categories
• Avoid classification as ultra-processed or HFSS foods
• Use smaller portion sizes
• Can be added to daily diets easily
• Maintain shelf stability
• Retain nutrients over time
• Appeal to the target groups
• Support practical market adoption

Who Is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include organisations and institutions with relevant expertise in nutrition, food science, product innovation, health, or community engagement.

Eligible applicants may include:

• Universities
• Research centres
• Food science institutions
• Nutrition research institutions
• FMCG companies
• Startups
• Fortification companies
• Product innovation companies
• Non-profit organisations
• Health-focused organisations
• Community engagement organisations

Applicants should demonstrate the capacity to develop, prototype, test, and evaluate the proposed product within one year.

Why It Matters

Iron deficiency and poor nutrition can affect health, energy levels, learning, productivity, and long-term wellbeing among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.

Nutritional products often fail when they are not appealing, affordable, culturally relevant, or easy to consume.

This initiative matters because it supports food products that combine nutritional science with real consumer needs. By focusing on taste, identity, affordability, bioavailability, and delivery, the programme encourages solutions that can be adopted at scale.

How to Apply

Applicants should prepare a clear proposal that explains the product concept, target group, nutritional design, consumer research, delivery model, budget, and evaluation plan.

Step 1: Define the Nutrition Problem

Applicants should clearly explain the nutrition challenge the product will address.

This may include iron deficiency, low micronutrient intake, low bioavailability in vegetarian diets, poor diet diversity, or barriers to regular consumption of nutritious foods.

Step 2: Identify the Target Consumer

The proposal should describe whether the product is designed for adolescent girls, women of reproductive age, or both.

Applicants should explain the target group’s food habits, preferences, barriers, aspirations, and daily routines.

Step 3: Develop the Product Concept

Applicants should present a clear product idea.

The concept should include:

• Product format
• Key ingredients
• Nutritional value
• Iron content per serving
• Fortification strategy
• Taste and flavour profile
• Portion size
• Packaging idea
• Consumer appeal
• Market positioning

Step 4: Demonstrate Nutritional Efficacy

The proposal should explain how the product will deliver measurable nutritional benefits.

Applicants should describe:

• Iron form used
• Bioavailability considerations
• Synergistic ingredients
• Nutrient retention strategy
• Expected health outcomes
• Evaluation approach
• Relevance to haemoglobin improvement

Step 5: Integrate Behavioural Insights

Applicants should show how the product design responds to consumer behaviour.

This may include taste preferences, social stigma, convenience, identity, peer acceptance, family influence, and motivation to consume the product regularly.

Step 6: Plan Prototyping and Evaluation

The proposal should describe how the product will be developed, tested, and improved.

This may include:

• Prototype development
• Sensory testing
• Consumer feedback
• Nutrition testing
• Shelf stability testing
• Feasibility assessment
• Pilot evaluation
• Product refinement

Step 7: Prepare a Scalability Plan

Applicants should explain how the product can be produced and distributed at scale.

The plan should address manufacturing, cost, supply chains, retail, public delivery, e-commerce, and local production feasibility.

Step 8: Prepare the Budget

Applicants may request up to ₹1 Crore for one year.

The budget should be realistic and directly linked to product development, testing, evaluation, packaging, consumer research, and delivery planning.

Step 9: Submit the Proposal

Applicants should submit a complete proposal with all required technical, financial, organisational, and project details.

The application should clearly show how the proposed product is affordable, aspirational, nutritionally effective, scalable, and relevant to the target groups.

Selection Considerations

Applications are likely to be assessed based on innovation, nutritional value, feasibility, scalability, and consumer relevance.

Key assessment areas may include:

• Strength of product innovation
• Nutritional efficacy
• Iron bioavailability
• Relevance to adolescent girls and women of reproductive age
• Use of behavioural and social insights
• Aspirational branding and consumer appeal
• Cost-effectiveness
• Shelf stability
• Local manufacturing feasibility
• Delivery through public or commercial channels
• Packaging and market fit
• Evaluation design
• Potential to improve measurable health outcomes

Tips for a Strong Proposal

Applicants should:

• Create a product that feels desirable, not medicinal
• Use regionally relevant flavours and ingredients
• Clearly show iron content and bioavailability
• Explain how the product fits daily food habits
• Address both taste and long-term health benefits
• Avoid stigma-based positioning
• Include a strong packaging and branding approach
• Show how the product can be manufactured locally
• Include public delivery and market-based distribution plans
• Demonstrate realistic cost and scalability
• Provide a clear evaluation plan linked to health outcomes

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common mistakes include:

• Designing a product without consumer appeal
• Ignoring taste preferences
• Treating the product only as a supplement
• Not demonstrating iron bioavailability
• Missing behavioural or social insights
• Using weak branding or stigma-based messaging
• Not explaining delivery channels
• Providing no scalability plan
• Ignoring vegetarian dietary patterns
• Failing to consider shelf stability and nutrient retention
• Proposing products that may be classified as ultra-processed or HFSS foods
• Submitting a budget that is not linked to project activities

FAQ

1. What is the ICMR food product innovation grant?

It is a funding opportunity to develop, prototype, and evaluate affordable, aspirational, and nutritionally effective food products for adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.

2. How much funding is available?

Applicants may receive grant funding of up to ₹1 Crore.

3. What is the project duration?

The project duration is one year.

4. What types of products can be developed?

Products may include snacks, drinkable formats, gummies, chewables, hybrid food-supplement formats, or other convenient nutrient-dense food options.

5. What nutrients should the products focus on?

The initiative places special emphasis on micronutrient delivery, particularly iron. Products should aim to provide around 4–5 mg of iron per serving.

6. Who can apply?

Eligible applicants include universities, research centres, FMCG companies, startups, fortification companies, product innovation companies, and non-profit organisations working in nutrition, health, food science, or community engagement.

7. What makes a strong proposal?

A strong proposal combines nutritional efficacy, consumer appeal, behavioural insights, attractive branding, cost-effective production, shelf stability, scalable delivery, and clear potential to improve measurable health outcomes.

Conclusion

The Indian Council of Medical Research initiative provides an important opportunity to develop innovative food products that support better nutrition for adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. With funding of up to ₹1 Crore for one year, the programme encourages applicants to create products that are affordable, nutrient-dense, aspirational, scalable, and backed by strong nutritional and behavioural evidence. Applicants should submit proposals that combine food science, consumer insight, attractive branding, iron bioavailability, practical delivery channels, and measurable health impact.

For more information, visit ICMR.