Criteria for a research grant are the scientific quality and promise of the researcher and the proposed research project, and the relevance of the research to the needs of the country concerned. To be eligible for a grant, an applicant must be a citizen of, and carry out the research in, a developing country. All applications are evaluated by international panels of experienced scientists in the different research areas. The grants are given to individual scientists and are primarily intended to provide equipment. A grant may be renewed up to three times.
Food science is one of the seven scientific areas supported by the foundation.
Aspects of research include food technology and processing, fermentation and microbiology, storage and packaging, nutrition, composition, contamination, and toxicology. The IFS grant programme also includes aquaculture, animal production, crop science, forestry, natural products, and rural technology. Abstract catalogues have been prepared for all these areas. The institute undertakes to administer the grant and to provide the laboratory, professional salaries, and other facilities necessary for the project. Instruments and other equipment financed by the grant normally become the property of the institute.