New Partnership Announced to Accelerate Global Research for Nutrition Science

April 8, 2014, New York, NY and Wageningen, Netherlands - Today The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences and the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University and Research Centre announced a partnership to activate directed, coordinated global research around maternal and child nutrition. The partnership is one in a series of activities designed to accelerate global commitment, cooperative work, and funding to uncover and implement scientific, evidence-based solutions to malnutrition.

The partnership is centered around the June 16 -17, 2014 "Forum on International Maternal and Child Nutrition: Initiating Research through Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations" that will be held at Hotel De Wageningse Berg in Wageningen. The forum, which will be a series of invitation-only and public sessions, will seek to secure precompetitive, pooled funding for research.

The partnership is part of a series of coordinated activities to further mobilize the international community around the uptake of research recommendations issued in A Global Research Agenda for Nutrition Science, developed in 2012 in collaboration with the World Health Organization and experts from the non-profit and academic sectors. The forum provides a platform for some of the highest levels of influencers in nutrition science, industry, philanthropy, and academia to come together to further the agenda. 

The event will focus on international maternal and child nutrition, with specific research proposals on: adolescent girls; heterogeneity of response; improved dietary assessment; and scaling up.

"The persistent high level of malnutrition combined with an alarming increase in overweight among low and middle income countries globally urges for concerted research and actions," says Prof. Frans Kok, Head of the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University. "Especially, nutrition during adolescence and the pre-pregnancy period is important to ensure a healthy start for offspring with subsequent benefits later in life. Research is essential to support stakeholders providing optimal nutrition for these target groups."

"Our partnership with Wageningen UR, the first of a larger concerted effort to work with centers of excellence throughout the world, underscores the global, integrative nature of nutrition sciences. We have a key role to play together in solving malnutrition. We anticipate that the forum will create a more streamlined and coordinated system in which to identify and fund nutrition research around critical issues pertaining to maternal and childhood nutrition," says Dr. Mandana Arabi, Executive Director, The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences.

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Wageningen University

Wageningen University is part of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre). The mission is to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. Within Wageningen UR, nine research institutes, both specialized and applied, have joined forces with Wageningen University to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With approximately 30 locations (in the Netherlands, Brazil, Chile, Ethiopia and China), 6,000 members of staff and 9,000 students, Wageningen UR is one of the leading organizations in its domain worldwide. The integral approach to problems and the cooperation between the exact sciences and the technological and social disciplines are at the heart of the Wageningen Approach.

The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science

The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences is dedicated to advancing nutrition science research and knowledge, mobilizing communities, and translating this work into the field. The Institute is generating a coordinated network across sectors, disciplines, and geographies that promotes open communication; encourages exchange of information and resources; nurtures the next generation of scientists; and affects community intervention design and public policy changes. Visit www.nyas.org/nutrition for more information.

The New York Academy of Sciences

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. With 22,000 members around the world, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org.