Across Europe, obesity remains one of the most complex and pressing public health challenges of our time. It is shaped by biological, genetic, social, economic, and environmental factors, and is a gateway to over 200 health complications, including other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (WHO, 2024). It is clear: addressing obesity requires more than isolated approaches, general public health interventions, or single-discipline solutions. It calls for coordination, shared learning and sustained collaboration across sectors and countries.
This was the starting point for OBEClust, the European Cluster of Obesity Research Projects. One year on, the cluster brings together nine major EU-funded research initiatives, representing nearly €80 million in investment, with a shared aim: to strengthen alignment, exchange expertise and increase the collective impact of European research on obesity prevention and management.
Why a European Obesity Cluster – and why now?
OBEClust aims to respond to a clear need at the European level: ensuring that large, publicly funded research projects do not operate in parallel silos, but contribute to a more coherent evidence base for obesity and other NCD prevention.
At the heart of OBEClust are two closely linked objectives:
- Creating peer support across projects, allowing researchers to exchange expertise, discuss methodological choices and learn from shared challenges
- Developing common methodological and policy-relevant guidance, where possible, to support obesity prevention and management across diverse European contexts
Together, these objectives reflect a shift from “working alongside” to working together. OBEClust provides an engaging space where researchers can reflect jointly on scientific, societal and political dimensions of obesity prevention, without duplicating effort or imposing rigid standards.
Building the Foundations: Governance, Coordination & Knowledge Sharing
One of the foundational achievements of OBEClust’s first year has been the establishment of a cluster Management Board, with representation from all nine projects. The Management Board provides strategic direction, supports alignment across projects, and ensures that activities remain focused on shared priorities.
During an in-person meeting in September 2025 in Brussels, members of the Management Board sat together with representatives from the European Commission. Discussions focused on methodological alignment, implementation challenges and opportunities for joint engagement with European stakeholders, highlighting both the diversity of project approaches and the value of structured dialogue at a high level.
Much of OBEClust’s work in its first year has taken place through thematic working groups, set up to address areas where projects face similar questions or bottlenecks. These groups focus on topics such as:
- the use of artificial intelligence to support obesity risk stratification
- dietary and lifestyle assessment methods
- questionnaire development in clinical research
- metabolic profiling and advanced omics approaches
Rather than aiming for prescriptive solutions, the working groups prioritise experience sharing and collective problem-solving. This approach supports methodological transparency and comparability, while respecting differences in populations, settings and national contexts. For participating projects, it also helps avoid repeating mistakes already encountered elsewhere, an often overlooked benefit of collaboration.
A shared voice on obesity – What has been learned after one year?
OBEClust has invested in joint communication and dissemination, recognising that the way in which obesity research is communicated matters as much as the evidence itself. Cluster activities promote people-first language, avoid stigmatising narratives, and reflect obesity as a complex, chronic disease rather than a matter of personal responsibility.
Two OBEClust webinars illustrate this approach. The first, “AI and Obesity Prevention: Leveraging Technology to Address Obesity”, explored how digital tools may support prevention strategies, while openly discussing ethical, feasibility and equity considerations. The second focused on strengthening a shared understanding of obesity as a chronic, multifactorial disease, supporting respectful and evidence-based communication across research, policy and practice.
Beyond webinars, OBEClust has contributed to scientific and public debate through shared outputs, including its launch press release, a joint perspective article in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, and a manuscript introducing the cluster’s vision and activities. In parallel, OBEClust is working on a joint position paper asserting the essential role of prevention in the era of GLP-1–based obesity management options. The projects have also increased their visibility through participation in high-level events such as the European Congress on Obesity.
After its first year, OBEClust has demonstrated the added value of a coordinated European approach to obesity prevention research. Key early outcomes include:
- Stronger methodological dialogue across projects
- Reduced fragmentation and greater awareness of complementary expertise
- Richer interdisciplinary exchange, linking biomedical, behavioural, digital and implementation perspectives
This commitment to structured collaboration has now been formally recognised. OBEClust has been awarded the EASO Award for Best Collaborative Project, highlighting the value of coordinated European research efforts in advancing obesity prevention and management through partnership rather than fragmentation.
Perhaps most importantly, OBEClust has helped shift the focus from individual project outputs to shared learning and long-term impact. A perspective that aligns closely with European policy priorities for sustainable, scalable public health action.
In the years to come, OBEClust will build on these foundations by developing shared guidance, implementation-oriented resources and policy-relevant outputs, where evidence allows. Continued collaboration will support projects as they address common challenges related to monitoring, evaluation, digital solutions and implementation across settings such as schools, workplaces and healthcare systems.
By connecting expertise across disciplines and countries, OBEClust aims not only to strengthen individual projects but also to contribute to a sustainable European framework for obesity prevention and management, one that supports innovation, learning, and lasting impact for people and communities across Europe.
