What is the Global Academy?
The Research Consortium’s Global Academy is our growing network of more than 1,400 researchers, policy advisers and practitioners across 130+ countries, representing more than 700 organisations.
Together, these experts are the “brain trust” of the School Meals Coalition – generating policy-relevant evidence to help member states design effective, resilient school meals programmes.
Why a Global Academy?
The Research Consortium was built on the belief the most effective policy advice comes from experts working within their own countries – those with deep, contextual knowledge of national systems, delivery mechanisms, dietary patterns and budget realities.
Our Global Academy was created to ensure governments are supported by locally grounded evidence and expertise, rather than one-size-fits-all solutions developed far from the contexts they are intended to serve.
How does the Global Academy work?
Our Global Academy experts bridge numerous research themes and disciplines related to school meals, providing expertise in health, nutrition, education, agriculture, economics and planetary health.
Their expertise powers our seven Communities of Practice, which generate evidence on key aspects of school health and nutrition to fill knowledge gaps identified by the School Meals Coalition member states.
What do Academy members do?
Members of the Global Academy play a pivotal role in strengthening national school meals services. More than half of School Meals Coalition member states have collaborated with experts from the Global Academy to conduct case studies and value-for-money analyses of their national programmes.
We regularly invite Academy to represent the Research Consortium at international events, contribute to white papers, and provide feedback on our work.
This approach fosters a two-way exchange of knowledge between the Consortium and its Global Academy: global expertise informs local practice, while insights from on-the-ground experiences covering 130+ countries shape the broader research and policy agenda.
How to join us
We invite all researchers, practitioners and policymakers working or conducting research in school health and nutrition, or others interested in the latest evidence on school meals, to join our Global Academy.
With global political momentum behind school meals continuing to accelerate, governments are increasingly seeking timely, context-specific expertise to inform policy decisions. After joining the Global Academy, members are invited to complete a short profile outlining their thematic and geographic expertise, enabling the Consortium to connect them with governments seeking advice relevant to their experience.
Voices from the Academy
The Global Academy brings together a diverse community of school meals experts from around the world.
Explore our spotlight series to learn about members’ research interests, career journeys and contributions to advancing school health and nutrition globally.
Celebrating 1,000 Global Academy members
What can we learn from more than 1,000 experts on school meals? Marking three key milestones – five years since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, International School Meals Day, and reaching our 1,000th Global Academy member, this special webinar highlighted the progress that has taken place since COVID-19 towards ensuring children around the world receive a nutritious meal at school.
Diverse voices across our Academy shared the extensive—and perhaps surprising—impacts of school meals, and what they could mean for building a happier, healthier future for both people and planet.