The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Tufts University have formally joined forces through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster academic and research collaborations, with a primary focus on the critical field of nutrition science and medicine.
This partnership, solidified on June 23, 2025, by Tufts University President Sunil Kumar and IISc Director Govindan Rangarajan, aims to leverage the distinct strengths of both institutions to address global health challenges.
A cornerstone of this collaboration is the planned establishment of the Interdisciplinary Center for Nutrition Science and Medicine (ICNSM), to be housed at IISc. The ICNSM’s initial priorities include initiating comprehensive research spanning basic, applied, clinical, and translational categories, involving both IISc and Tufts’ Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. This will facilitate exchange programs for visiting scholars and create new research opportunities.
The scope of potential research areas is broad, encompassing critical health issues such as ageing, nutritional immunity, cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, and kidney diseases, and nutrition and infectious diseases. The collaboration will also delve into emerging fields such as precision nutrition, the gut microbiome and immunity, obesity, food-as-medicine concepts, plant-based nutrition, and the health impacts of ultra-processed foods. Furthermore, the partnership will explore the intersection of nutrition and technology, including the use of sensors and Artificial Intelligence, and focus on preventive nutrition.
Beyond foundational research, the partnership envisions large-scale nutritional intervention studies targeting prevalent health concerns such as chronic disease, anemia, hypertension, malnutrition, and metabolic disease.
This initiative marks a step toward establishing new curriculum and education standards that will transform healthcare delivery by embedding nutrition expertise into provider education.
Christina Economos, Professor and Dean of the Friedman School, emphasized the need for a “multifaceted and flexible approach to training” that equips future physician-scientists with a strong foundation in nutrition science, highlighting its critical role in disease prevention, management, and treatment. She also stressed the importance of understanding broader societal factors such as food access, availability, and affordability that influence dietary patterns, advocating for a “systems-level perspective” to enhance patient care and provide equitable clinical guidance.
The ICNSM also plans to launch a joint PhD supervision program and establish a tele-nutrition system for knowledge transfer at the primary care level.
Navakanta Bhat, Dean of IISc’s Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences, noted that the center, anchored in IISc’s medical school, will leverage the institution’s expertise in basic sciences and engineering technology. This platform will empower researchers from both institutions to collaboratively develop nutrition-focused healthcare solutions for India, the U.S., and globally, addressing the entire spectrum of diseases stemming from both malnutrition and obesity.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
