IUNS and the Global Nutrition Networks:

Nutrition has no single global funder. What it has instead is one page that collects everybody else’s money, and almost nobody in Pakistan opens it.

What IUNS actually is

The International Union of Nutritional Sciences, a registered charity in England and Wales, has run the International Congress of Nutrition every four years since 1946. The 23rd ICN took place in Paris from 24 to 29 August 2025. Earlier congresses went to Buenos Aires, Granada, Bangkok and Tokyo.

IUNS also elects Fellows, once every four years during the congress, recognizing scientists who have rendered outstanding service to nutrition.

Two Pakistanis appear on that Fellows list: Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, elected in 2013, and Mohammad Ataur Rahman, elected in 2001. Worth knowing, because it shows this is not a world closed to Pakistani nutrition science.

But on funding, be clear about what IUNS is. Its awards feed carries two IUNS awards and six other organizations’ schemes. That is the real structure, and the real opportunity.

The one taking applications now

The EASO and Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize and New Investigator Awards 2027.

Deadline: 14 December 2026, 23:59 GMT. As this post goes live, that is weeks away.

The Obesity Prize for Excellence carries a DKK 2 million grant, including a DKK 300,000 personal grant for the winner. Separately, four New Investigator Awards each provide a DKK 300,000 research grant, in basic science, clinical research, childhood obesity and public health.

EASO encourages early-career researchers to apply. Winners present at the European Congress on Obesity in Munich, 18 to 21 May 2027, and applications go through EASO’s own website, where the full criteria sit.

Four separate categories means four separate chances, and childhood obesity and public health are precisely where a Pakistani researcher has data that European applicants do not.

The fellowship that names South Asia

The ANH Academy Science-Policy Fellowships deserve a diary entry rather than a glance.

£52,600 stipend. Twelve months, full-time. Up to three fellows. Candidates need a doctoral degree in agriculture, nutrition, health or a related field, and the Academy encourages early-career scientists and those connected to the target regions.

Those regions are Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Across every society post we have written this month, this is the clearest case of a funder naming your part of the world in its own scope. Round 2 closed on 28 February 2026, so the work now is to be ready, not to apply.

That means a doctorate, plus a foot in policy rather than only in the laboratory. If you are mid-PhD in nutrition, this is the thing to aim at.

How the congress money works

Two separate schemes funded attendance at the Paris congress, and the pattern repeats at each ICN.

The IUNS Early Career Travel Grant covered congress registration, travel and accommodation. Eligibility ran to anyone within ten years of their most recent degree, with an accepted oral or poster abstract, a supporting letter, and proof of registration and any required visa before the award. The deadline fell on 21 April 2025 for a congress that August, so roughly four months ahead.

IUNS chose 21 recipients from hundreds of applications. Treat that ratio seriously, and note what drove selection: the quality, originality and relevance of the abstract. The abstract is the application.

The supporting letter rule is the generous part. IUNS accepted a letter from an IUNS Adhering Body, a university or a research center. So unlike schemes that run strictly through a national society, your own department can back you.

The French Nutrition Society ran a second scheme alongside it: 30 grants, each reimbursing up to €600, for students from low-income and lower-middle-income countries presenting at the congress, requiring proof of student status and an accepted abstract. Reimbursement came after the congress, on presentation of documents.

Pakistan sits in the World Bank’s lower-middle-income group, which is the same classification that opens the World Physiotherapy congress bursaries. Expect a similar host-society scheme at the next congress, and look for it early.

The rest of the noticeboard

Four more schemes appeared on IUNS’s feed, and each has its own gate.

The IUNS Jo Hautvast Nutrition Leadership Award, launched on 2 July 2026 for IUNS’s 80th anniversary, recognizing outstanding leadership and significant contributions to nutrition science and its application. Open to researchers, educators, policymakers and professionals whose work has substantial national, regional or global impact. Applications through the online form only, with questions to office@iuns.org. IUNS publishes no amount or deadline on the feed, so ask.

The STREAMING Knowledge Transfer Grants, a Horizon Europe scheme of €275,000 total, up to €25,000 per project, over 8 to 12 months, with at least 60% going to organizations in African countries. Its 2 March 2026 deadline has passed, and the African allocation tells you who it serves.

The UK Nutrition Society’s Mike Gibney Early Career Award, for current Nutrition Society members normally within six years of their most recent relevant qualification, with allowances for career breaks.

The British Nutrition Foundation’s Drummond Early Career Scientist Award, which is open to applicants from any country and asks for an application form and an abstract for a mini review.

That last one matters. A UK foundation’s award open to any country, requiring a written abstract rather than a travel budget, is exactly the kind of entry point a researcher in Lahore or Karachi can take seriously.

Step-by-step

Step 1, today: bookmark IUNS’s awards and grants feed and set a monthly reminder to read it. This single habit is the post’s main recommendation, because the feed aggregates money from bodies you would otherwise never see.

Step 2, this week: if obesity, childhood nutrition or public health is your field, open the EASO call. The deadline is 14 December 2026, and four categories mean four routes.

Step 3, this week: write to office@iuns.org and ask the Jo Hautvast Award’s deadline, criteria and any award value, since the feed states none.

Step 4, November: if you hold or are finishing a doctorate, study the ANH Academy fellowship. It names South Asia, and the next round is what you prepare for now.

Step 5, November: ask IUNS which organization in Pakistan is an Adhering Body, and whether your university can issue the supporting letter instead.

Step 6, December: start the abstract, not the application. For congress travel grants, selection runs on abstract quality, originality and relevance. Our guide on writing a research proposal covers building an argument a panel will back.

Step 7, through 2027: publish. Every award on this page rewards a record, and as with the WHF Emerging Leaders Programme, a publication is what separates applicants.

Step 8: watch for the next ICN announcement. The congress runs every four years and Paris was 2025, so the next one is the horizon to plan towards.

FAQ

Does IUNS give scholarships?

IUNS runs few awards of its own. Its awards feed mainly carries other organizations’ grants, fellowships and prizes.

What takes applications right now?

The EASO and Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize and New Investigator Awards 2027, closing 14 December 2026.

How much do those pay?

A DKK 2 million grant for the Obesity Prize, including a DKK 300,000 personal grant, and four New Investigator Awards of DKK 300,000 each.

Which award names South Asia?

The ANH Academy Science-Policy Fellowships, at £52,600 for twelve months, for up to three fellows with a doctoral degree, focused on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

What did the IUNS travel grant cover?

Congress registration, travel and accommodation, for applicants within ten years of their most recent degree with an accepted abstract.

How competitive is it?

IUNS selected 21 recipients from hundreds of applications for the Paris congress.

Who can write my supporting letter?

For the travel grant, an IUNS Adhering Body, a university or a research center.

Are there grants for students?

At the Paris congress the French Nutrition Society offered 30 grants reimbursing up to €600 for students from low-income and lower-middle-income countries with accepted abstracts.

When is the next International Congress of Nutrition?

IUNS has held it every four years since 1946, and the 23rd was in Paris in August 2025. The pages we read announce no next congress.

Are there Pakistani IUNS Fellows?

Yes. IUNS elected Zulfiqar A. Bhutta in 2013 and Mohammad Ataur Rahman in 2001.

Which award accepts any country?

The British Nutrition Foundation’s Drummond Early Career Scientist Award.

What is the single best habit?

Reading IUNS’s awards feed monthly.