SAU Inaugurates SAARC–SAU Regional and Transdisciplinary Centre for Precision Nutrition and Health

The new SAARC–SAU Centre for Precision Nutrition and Health will connect researchers and institutions across SAARC member states.

South Asian University (SAU), New Delhi, inaugurated the SAARC–SAU Regional and Transdisciplinary Centre for Precision Nutrition and Health (CPNH) on 9 October 2026, marking a significant step towards strengthening regional cooperation and advancing collaborative research to address anaemia, malnutrition, and public health challenges across South Asia. The Centre has been envisaged and initiated in collaboration with SAARC, UNICEF and the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health, Cornell University, USA.

New SAARC–SAU Centre to Tackle Anaemia and Malnutrition Across South Asia

The presidential address was delivered by Prof. K. K. Aggarwal, President of South Asian University. Special remarks were delivered by H.E. Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of SAARC; Prof. M. Srinivas, Member of NITI Aayog; Dr. Joan N. Matji, Global Director of Child Nutrition and Development at the Child Survival and Development Centre of Excellence, Nairobi, Kenya, representing UNICEF online; and Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, Chancellor and Founder President of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). All were among the distinguished dignitaries who attended the inauguration.

The inaugural programme also featured a distinguished lecture by Dr. Saurabh Mehta, Founding Director of the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health at Cornell University. His lecture highlighted the role of precision nutrition, biomarker research, affordable diagnostics, and interdisciplinary collaboration in improving health outcomes.

The Centre will focus on addressing challenges such as anaemia and improving nutrition, particularly among adolescent girls, women, and children, through regional research, capacity development, and evidence-based health policies.

With South Asian University as its institutional base, CPNH will serve as a regional collaborative hub, connecting researchers, institutions, and technical partners across SAARC member states to advance affordable, context-specific, and scalable solutions for better nutrition and health across South Asia.

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