French culinary research centre specialising in consumer food behaviour, sensory science, and sustainable diet transitions.
Institut Lyfe (formerly Institut Paul Bocuse) is the research arm of one of France's most prestigious culinary and hospitality schools, based in Ecully near Lyon. Their research centre focuses on understanding how people perceive, choose, and consume food — combining food science, sensory analysis, psychology, and nutritional science. They bring a uniquely consumer-centred perspective to EU food research, bridging the gap between laboratory food science and real-world eating behaviour. More recently, they have expanded into sustainable food systems, including microalgae-derived bioactives and short food supply chains.
Core theme across FoodSMART (smarter consumer food choice), Edulia (children's eating behaviour, sensory perception, sensometrics), and DIVINFOOD (consumer acceptance of plant-based diets).
Edulia was their largest MSCA project (EUR 262K), focused specifically on food socialisation, cognitive sciences, and neurosciences applied to children's healthy eating.
DIVINFOOD explores agrobiodiversity, short food chains, territorial approaches, and digital tools for co-constructing sustainable food systems.
SCALE project (EUR 525K, their largest funding) works on photobioreactors, tubular systems, and high-value compounds from microalgae for feed, food, cosmetics, and supplements.
Both FoodSMART and Edulia applied social marketing and psychology methods to influence food choices and promote healthier eating patterns.
Institut Lyfe's early H2020 work (2015–2018) was rooted in fundamental food psychology — sensory perception, neurosciences, cognitive sciences, and the socialisation of eating behaviour in children. From 2021 onward, their focus shifted markedly toward applied sustainability: microalgae bioprocessing (SCALE) and short food chains with agrobiodiversity (DIVINFOOD). The consumer behaviour thread remains constant, but the application context has moved from "why do people eat what they eat" to "how do we transition people toward sustainable, plant-forward diets."
Moving from understanding consumer eating behaviour toward applying that knowledge to accelerate the food sustainability transition — a valuable combination for anyone working on alternative proteins or short supply chains.
Institut Lyfe always participates as a partner, never as coordinator — they contribute specialist expertise in consumer science and sensory analysis rather than leading project management. With 59 unique partners across 16 countries in just 4 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia typical of ambitious EU food research. Their funding scheme diversity (MSCA-RISE, MSCA-ITN, RIA, IA) shows adaptability across both training networks and innovation actions.
Despite only 4 projects, they have built connections with 59 partners across 16 countries — a wide European network reflecting their involvement in large food research consortia. Their base near Lyon positions them within France's gastronomic heartland, but their reach is decidedly pan-European.
Institut Lyfe occupies a rare niche: a culinary school's research centre that brings rigorous food psychology, sensory science, and consumer behaviour expertise to EU research consortia. Where most food research partners are universities or technical institutes, Institut Lyfe adds a human-centred lens — they understand not just what food can be produced, but whether consumers will actually accept and eat it. This makes them an ideal partner for any project where consumer adoption is the bottleneck, from alternative proteins to functional foods.
