Purpose
The Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit research organization dedicated to reducing the economic and social burden of obesity and obesity-related chronic disease by improving the quality of science in nutrition and obesity research. Building on the deep expertise and broad experience of its staff, advisors, intramural consortium members, and extramural scientists, NuSI engages policymakers, healthcare providers, and the public with rigorous research, ideas and analysis. NuSI seeks to facilitate a consensus within the scientific community that will resolve the ongoing nutrition science debate and lay the groundwork for reducing the burdens of obesity for future generations.
Awards
NuSI does not have a pre-determined number of awards or grants, nor does NuSI have a maximum grant amount. NuSI will only accept applications based on solicitations or upon requests for proposals. A letter of intent will require pre-approval before a full application will be accepted. Each application will be evaluated on an individual basis based on the criteria below. NuSI funds direct costs and indirect costs at a rate not to exceed 10 percent of direct costs.
Eligibility criteria
Applications must be submitted by an educational institution or nonprofit organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Selection criteria
Proposal evaluation is based upon:
- Scientific impact in fields directly related to the mission of NuSI — specifically, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and associated pathologies and their relationship with nutrition;
- Relevance of the project to solving critical problems or barriers to progress in targeted areas;
- Likelihood that success of the project will have a meaningful influence on scientific knowledge, technical capability and/or clinical practice;
- Soundness of the project’s conceptual framework, feasibility of the research and rigor of the methodology;
- Thorough consideration of potential problems, alternative strategies, management of risk, benchmarks for success, and an acceptable plans for protection of human subjects;
- Capability of the investigator to undertake and complete the project on schedule;
- The investigator’s research record, experience, training and expertise suitable to the proposal; for multiple investigators, prior experience working together and/or complementary and integrated expertise;
- Institutional support, equipment and physical resources available to maximize project success.
- Collaborative arrangements that can maximize scientific impact and success of the project.
Use of grant funds
Grants include personnel, other direct costs and indirect costs to be calculated at a rate not to exceed 10 percent of direct costs. Investigators must be prepared to commit substantial time to the project. Grant funds may be used to support the salary of the principal investigator(s).
How to apply
NuSI will only accept applications based on solicitations or upon requests for proposals. Please direct inquiries about the program or the application process to us, preferably via email to info@nusi.org.
