Nestle Foundation: Re-Entry Grants (REG)

The Nestlé Foundation offers Re-Entry Grants to support post-graduate students from developing countries as they return to their careers. By facilitating research in human nutrition, the Foundation aims to foster sustainable development and capacity building in low-income regions. Eligible projects should address critical public health issues, focusing on maternal and child nutrition, and must demonstrate collaboration between local and international researchers. Grants are non-renewable and may last up to three years.

NOTE: Interested scientists should first submit a “Letter of Intent." A Letter of intent can be submitted at any time of the year. If the suggested project is compatible with the Foundation's current funding policy, applicants will receive an invitation to submit a full grant proposal.
Purpose
The Nestlé Foundation initiates and supports research in human nutrition with public health relevance in low-income and lower middle-income countries according to the World Bank classification. The results of the research projects should ideally provide a basis for implementation and action which will lead to sustainable effects in the studied populations as generally applicable to the population at large. They should also enable institution strengthening and capacity building in a sustainable manner in the host country and further cooperation and collaboration between Institutions in developed and developing countries .
The Foundation expects research proposals to be primarily the initiative of local researchers from the developing countries. However the Foundation will be inclined to consider favorably those applications jointly made by scientists from developed countries with those from developing countries provided it is clear that the initiative will result in capacity building and human resource development in the latter and the bulk of the budget is spent in the developing country.
Research Topics
At present the Foundation's work is primarily concerned with human nutrition research issues dealing with:
maternal and child nutrition, including breastfeeding and complementary feeding,macro- and micronutrient deficiencies and imbalances,interactions between infection and nutrition, andnutrition education and health promotion.
The precise priorities and goals of the Foundation are modified from time to time to meet emerging public health and nutritional needs in the developing world. Studies in other areas of human nutrition research might also be considered, as long as they are dealing with problems of malnutrition in eligible countries (see above). Other areas of research may be eventually considered for support if the applicant can offer specific and convincing evidence and justification for the choice of their research topic.
To encourage the return and re-establishment of post-graduate students into their careers in their own countries, the Foundation will support a research program for eligible candidates. The host institution will need to guarantee a post for the returnee and ensure career development within the host institution.
Contribution of support to the eligible candidate from the host institution is essential, while support and collaboration from the overseas institution where the candidate trained is helpful.

Eligibility

Applicants should be post-graduate students from developing countries returning to their home country.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not normally fund:Projects with low public health relevanceProjects with doubtful sustainabilityProjects lacking transfer of scientific, technical and educational knowledge, i.e. lacking a capacity-building componentLarge budget projects i.e. – projects that exceed US$100,000 per year or US$ 300,000 over the total duration ofa 3-year projectMutrition surveys or surveillance studiesResearch on food policy, food production and food technology except when linked to an intervention with high potential for sustainable improvement of the nutritional statusIn vitro and/or animal experimentsRe-Entry grants are non- renewable.Hence, it is recommended that eligible investigators apply for other categories of awards before the completion of their projects (but with available results from earlier support) for continuing support from a full research grant to avoid any interruption of their research activities.