The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Nutrition Research has announced a significant new initiative aimed at transforming how nutrition is taught to future healthcare professionals. The ‘Integration of Nutrition Training into Health Care Education’ Challenge seeks to identify and scale evidence-based curricula within medical and nursing schools, as well as residency programs. By fostering innovative educational models, the NIH hopes to better equip practitioners to address the complex role nutrition plays in long-term health outcomes.

To incentivize participation, the NIH is offering a total prize purse of up to $2.1 million. The challenge is open to U.S.-based, accredited, non-profit academic institutions and is divided into two distinct tracks: the Exemplar Track for established programs and the Developing Track for emerging models. Winning institutions across the three designated categories—medical schools, residency programs, and nursing programs—can receive awards of up to $75,000 each.

This initiative is being facilitated through the NASA Tournament Lab, which provides the necessary infrastructure for federal agencies to conduct large-scale crowdsourced challenges. Interested institutions have until September 15, 2026, to submit their proposals. The program represents a major effort to bridge the gap between nutritional science and clinical practice, ensuring that the next generation of healthcare providers is well-versed in the critical impact of diet on patient health.