Recognition of the importance of Precision Nutrition can be seen in several recent funding initiatives announced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the major funding source for biomedical research in the US, and its funding priorities reflect what it perceives to be health issues of major concern. In this regard, it is notable that NIH established the Nutrition Research Task Force in 2016 to coordinate and accelerate nutrition research.
To highlight its position as a leader in Precision Nutrition research, the NRI held the “Defining Precision Nutrition” Symposium in 2018. NRI Director Steven Zeisel was also invited to speak to the Task Force in 2019, where he emphasized the importance and potential of Precision Nutrition. These efforts to increase the visibility of Precision Nutrition research are paying off: Precision Nutrition is one of four new programs under development for FY 2021 by the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination (The Common Fund). The Common Fund is a resource by which NIH makes strategic investments in programs that will have high impact. NIH
This growing interest on the part of NIH in funding Precision Nutrition further validates the mission of the NRI and suggests that over the coming years, there will be increased availability of research funds for which the NRI is ideally placed to compete.
