Welcome Message
The Organising Committee of the Sabri Ülker Food Research Institute Foundation İstanbul Science Summit 2026, on behalf of the Sabri Ülker Foundation and The Nutrition Society, is pleased to welcome you to this international scientific meeting in Istanbul.
The Summit will bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, policymakers, civil society representatives, and early-career scientists to discuss childhood nutrition through the connected perspectives of education, health, and food security.
The scientific programme will focus on three themes: Developmental Origins, Nutrition Education, and Public Health Approaches. The programme will include plenary lectures, thematic sessions, panel discussions, workshops, selected oral presentations, and digital ePoster displays. It will support scientific exchange, practical discussion, and new professional connections.
The Summit will take place at Rixos Tersane Istanbul on 19-20 October 2026. Participants may attend either in person in Istanbul or online through the full virtual participation option. Registration will be free for all participants.
We warmly invite colleagues from Türkiye and around the world to register and join us for the Istanbul Science Summit 2026 in Rixos Tersane, Istanbul on 19-20 October 2026.”
The Organizing Committee
Sabri Ülker Foundation İstanbul Science Summit 2026
Sabri Ülker Food Research Institute Foundation and The Nutrition Society
Programme
Day 1 - 19 October 2026
09:00-09:30
Registration
09:30-09:40
Welcome Speech
Murat Ülker
Member of the Board of Directors, Yıldız Holding
09:40-09:50
Mahmut Gürcan
Deputy Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye
09:50-10:00
Şuayıp Birinci
Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Türkiye
10:00-10:10
Binali Yıldırım
Last Prime Minister of the Republic of Türkiye
28th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye – Member of the Presidential Council of State
10:13-10:19
Yahya Ülker
Chair of the Sabri Ülker Food Research Institute Foundation
Plenary lecture 1
Time & topic
Speaker
Title of the speech
10:10-10:55
Global perspectives on childhood nutrition and health
Professor Donald Bundy
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,
Keppel Street , UK
(Epidemiology and Development)
Beyond the first 1000 days: school meals as an investment in the next 7000 days of child and adolescent development
Chaired by Professor Bernard Corfe
Symposium 1 – Developmental Origins
Time & topic
Speaker
Title of the speech
10:55-11:20
Breast feeding
Professor Amy Brown 🛜
Swansea University, UK
(Maternal and Child Public Health)
The Lifelong Impact of Breastfeeding
11:20-11:45
Maternal and child health
Dr. Julia Finkelstein
Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health, US
(Epidemiology and Nutrition)
Periconceptional One-Carbon Metabolism and Maternal and Child Health
11:45-12:10
First 1000 days
Professor Elif Özmert
Hacettepe University; Director of Hacettepe University Institute of Child Health, Türkiye
(Developmental Pediatrics)
The First 1000 Days: Shaping a Lifetime of Health and Well-being
12:10-12:40
Panel discussion
Chaired and moderated by Professor Mary Ward
12:40-13:40
Lunch break
Time & topic
Speaker
Title of the speech
13:40-14:40
Original Communications: Oral Presentations
Laiba Tasmia Durrani
Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
(Department of Nutritional Sciences & Environmental Design)
Breakfast quality, dietary habits, and academic performance among university students in Pakistan: Findings from a cross-sectional study”
Gizem Aytekin Sahin
Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Kayseri, Türkiye
(Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences)
Changes in Non-Targeted Nutrients and Drivers of Carbon Footprint Reduction in EvoMeal-Optimized Nursing Home Menus
Dr. Dilara Olgacher
Final International University, Kyrenia, Cyprus
(Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences)
Outcomes and implementation of a whole-school food intervention: Insights from Project Daire
Chaired by Professor Victor Zevallos
14:40-15:00
Coffee Break
Symposium 2 – Education Initiatives
Time & topic
Speaker
Title of the speech
15:00-15:25
Food A Fact of Life: UK Schools’ Nutrition Education Programme and its extension in Türkiye and beyond
Frances Meek
Education Services Manager at British Nutrition Foundation, UK
(Education Services Manager)
Food and nutrition education in schools: Impact and insights from Food – a fact of life
15:25-15:50
A perspective from Japan: School meal programmes and the assessment of diet quality
Professor Kentaro Murakami
The University of Tokyo, School of Public Health, Japan
(Social and Preventive Epidemiology)
Enhancing Diet Quality Through School Meal Programmes: The Japanese Approach
15:50-16:15
Nutrition education for children via healthcare professionals: an example from Türkiye
Professor F. Nur Baran Aksakal
Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Türkiye
(Public Health & Preventive Medicine)
Guiding Children’s Nutrition via Healthcare Professionals
16:15-16:45
Panel discussion
Chaired and moderated by Professor Odysseas Androutsos
Day 2 - 20 October 2026
Symposium 3 – Public Health Approaches
Time & topic
Speaker
Title of the speech
10:00-10:25
Commercial determinants of health
Greg Fell 🛜
President of the Association of Directors of Public Health, UK
(Director of Public Health and Integrated Commissioning at Sheffield City Council)
Ending the obesity epidemic: Moving beyond ‘obesity’ policy to tackle the causes of the causes
10:25-10:50
Food Insecurity
Professor Sigrun Henjum
Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), Norway
(Public Health Nutrition)
Securing the Future: Global Strategies to Combat Food Insecurity in children
10:50-11:15
Nutrition in emergencies
Dr. Kavita Sethuraman
Independent Reseacher & Advisor
(Maternal & Child Health & Nutrition)
Crisis and Care: Ensuring Optimal Nutrition in Emergencies
11:15-11:45
Panel discussion
Chaired and moderated by Professor Serhat Ünal
Plenary lecture 2
Time & topic
Speaker
Title of the speech
11.45-12.30
Plenary lecture 2 – Theory into action
Professor Charlotte Hardman
University of Liverpool, UK
(Psychology of Eating Behaviour)
Putting theory into action to drive real-world change in children’s diets – a case-study in English primary schools
Chaired and moderated by Professor Wendy Hall
12:00
Closing Session by Professor Bernard Corfe
12:30-13:30
Lunch Break
Workshop – Writing for publication: a workshop on preparing your manuscript and navigating the publication process
(REGISTRATION AND IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED)
Time & topic
Speaker
Detailed Information
14.00-16.00
Workshop – Writing for publication: preparing a manuscript and navigating the publication process
Professor Bernard Corfe FRSB
President, Nutrition Society; Editor in Chief, Journal of Nutritional Science; Director, Human Nutrition and Exercise Research Center, Newcastle University, UK
(Human Nutrition and Health)
Who should attend: This 90-minute workshop is aimed at PhD students and early career researchers who have limited experience of writing and publishing.
What you will learn: The workshop will cover reasons for writing; guiding principles in ethics of scientific writing, how to approach writing your manuscript. The workshop will also demystify the publication process and provide guidance on submission and beyond.
About the speaker: Bernard Corfe has over 100 publications, is current editor in chief of Journal of Nutritional Sciences, and has previously been on the board of International Journal of Experimental Pathology, European Journal of Nutrition, and Nutrition and Cancer. He teaches scientific writing to postgraduate students.
Please scan QR code to see 2026 Abstract Book.
Speakers
Professor Elif Özmert
Hacettepe University; Director of Hacettepe University Institute of Child Health, Türkiye
Prof. F. Nur Baran Aksakal
Science Committee Member of Sabri Ülker Food Research Foundation Head of the Gazi University Faculty of Medicine Department of Public Health
Important Dates
Abstract submission opens
When website
opens
Extended Abstract Submission Deadline:
21 August 2026, 23:59 (GMT+3)
Abstract acceptance notification
by 24 August 2026
Oral Presentation ePoster deadline
9 September 2026, 23:59 (GMT+3)
Oral Presentation notification
by 2 October 2026
Oral Presentation attendance confirmation
6 October 2026, 23:59 (GMT+3)
Final ePoster deadline for Poster Exhibition
9 October 2026, 23:59 (GMT+3)
Summit dates
19-20 October 2026