This award is supported by the National Pork Board

Description & Justification

The Pork Nutrition Science Catalyst Award supports ASN members in early and mid-career stages in advancing strategically aligned, pork-specific nutrition research. Funding may support pilot research, secondary analyses, methods development, community-focused research, or evidence synthesis that generates preliminary or publishable findings and catalyzes future research.

One $10,000 award and costs to attend ASN’s annual meeting, NUTRITION 2027, will be awarded to one ASN member.

*Travel (basic economy roundtrip airfare from within continental US), registration, and hotel expenses covered up to $2,000 total.

Eligibility

  • Be a current ASN member; applicants in early and mid-career are eligible
  • Project must focus on the continental United States (but applicants can live outside of the United States)

Application Guidelines and Instructions

All applications must be submitted via the ASN Foundation Portal. The following information will be required during the application process.

Research proposal

Research Scope of Work: The proposed research should include a description of the research and highlight researcher capabilities and, if applicable, collaborator’s expertise.

Research Scope of Work should be single-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, not to exceed 4 pages including up to 4 tables, images and/or graphs.

  • Background, significance, and alignment with one or more research topics of interest
  • Research objective(s)
  • Approach
  • Need for collaboration, if applicable
  • Timeline with deliverables and anticipated next steps (suggested project duration is no more than 12 months)
  • References

Required upload in ONE DOCUMENT (in PDF format)

  • Cover Page should include the project title, project summary, name and contact information of all project personnel (including ASN membership status) (1-page limit)
  • Research proposal (4-page limit)
  • A curriculum vitae
  • A statement including short-term and long-term goals as well as how the proposed research fits into that research pipeline (1-page limit)

Research Topics of Interest

Proposals should address an important gap in human nutrition research and generate evidence that is specific to pork. When applicable, applicants should clearly characterize the pork cut, preparation method, processing status, consumption frequency, and dietary context.

Funding may support original research involving primary data collection, secondary data analysis, methods development, community-engaged research, or rigorous evidence synthesis. Primary consideration will be given to proposals addressing one or more of the following priorities:

  • Fresh Pork Nutrient Profile and Health Outcomes
    • Generate pork-specific evidence on nutrient composition, nutrient density, dietary intake, or health outcomes. Studies should clearly identify fresh pork and characterize the cut, preparation method, amount, and frequency of consumption when applicable.
  • Epidemiological Methods Advancement
    • Develop, test, or apply methods that improve how pork is identified, measured, and analyzed in dietary datasets, including approaches that disaggregate pork from broad meat categories and distinguish fresh and processed pork, cuts, preparation methods, or consumption patterns.
  • Cultural and Community Nutrition Research
    • Examine the role of pork within culturally relevant dietary patterns, community nutrition, food access, food security, dietary adherence, or nutrition education. Community-engaged and implementation-oriented approaches are encouraged when appropriate.
  • Evidence Gap Analysis
    • Conduct a systematic review, scoping review, evidence map, or other rigorous synthesis that identifies gaps in pork-specific nutrition evidence and prioritizes actionable research questions related to human health, dietary patterns, life stages, or population groups.
  • Bioavailability or Food Synergy
    • Use existing datasets, biospecimens, or completed studies to examine the bioavailability or functional effects of nutrients within pork’s food matrix, or the interaction of pork with other foods and dietary patterns in relation to nutrient adequacy, nutrient absorption, or health outcomes.

That also help to:

  • Clearly identify the pork-specific evidence gap the project will address
  • Support cross-disciplinary collaboration when it strengthens the proposed work
  • Demonstrate potential to lead to a peer-reviewed publication, larger grant, longer-term project, or other actionable next step