Dr. Rainer Gross passed away in 2006 after a life dedicated to the formation of educational institutions for the GTZ in Brazil, Indonesia and Peru, while championing the involvement of European university students in research in low-income countries. He served as head of the Nutrition Division of UNICEF through his final years of life. Over his career, Rainer pioneered diverse and creative initiatives: e.g. the utilization of lupins for human diets; the relevance of urban nutrition; and the alternate-day supplementation with iron and multiple micronutrients, among others. It was Rainer’s penchant to think outside of the box, probing into questions where none had gone before.
A biennial international award was established by the Hildegard Grunow Foundation (HGF) to honor his memory. The Rainer Gross Prize has been awarded to candidates whose work in developing societies probes outside the main-stream of conventional thought and innovates our understanding in applied nutrition, in reflection of the spirit of Dr. Gross. It includes a cash prize of $2500 USD and sponsored attendance at an international nutrition meeting. In addition, the prize lectures are published in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin. To date, it has been awarded in Oporto (2010), Havana (2012) and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2014).
The fourth prize will be awarded in October of this year at the Micronutrient Forum Global Conference in Cancún, Mexico. With your vantage point on colleagues from across the world, we are asking you for insights, suggestions and mobilization to assure the application/nomination of suitable candidates. Please help us to spot those younger professionals in the developing world with concrete evidence of the probing spirit of exploration for the benefit of public nutrition that was the hallmark of Dr. Gross.
Concretely speaking, you can help the prize-winner selection-process in two ways:
1. encouraging a colleague to go to the website and apply (self-application)
2. obtaining the information to fill out the form yourself (nomination)
The deadline for receipt of applications/nominations is July 31, 2016.
For more information click here
