This morning we announced the recipients of the Center for Truth in Science’s research grants to conduct systematic analyses of the methodologies and results of the research studies that have been most frequently cited on four issues at the intersection of science, justice and the economy: ethylene oxide, glyphosate, per-and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), and talc.

We were exceptionally pleased with the quality of the proposals received and the credentials of the scientists who submitted them. Selecting the final recipients was no easy task—we received multiple stellar proposals for each issue area, any of which would have made an excellent choice.

To do so, we assembled a highly qualified team of independent reviewers that included physicians, toxicologists, risk analysts, and epidemiologists, to evaluate each of the proposals and help us identify the right team of scientists for each analysis. 

I was able to experience the independent review process first-hand and it was a lesson in how seriously these professionals take their work and their commitment to scientific excellence.  Each issue area had a team of three independent reviewers evaluate the proposals.  The reviewers first completed an extensive written evaluation where they ranked specific aspects of each submission and expressed their views on the quality of the submission, the credentials of the scientific team members, and the proposal’s responsiveness to the objectives of the research developed by the Center.

Those individual evaluations were shared with the other reviewers before all three came together to discuss their findings in more detail and reach a final recommendation for consideration by the Center’s leadership team. Ultimately, this proved most helpful in identifying the best possible grant award candidates.

Inevitably, we had to reject outstanding proposals for each project, and while this was difficult, it left us in the enviable position of awarding the grants to the scientists that provide us the best possible opportunity to deliver the objective, unbiased, and independent research results on which the Center is built.

Results of these analyses will be published over the next three to six months as the Center continues to monitor and engage on new scientific developments, regulatory actions, judicial decisions, and media coverage of each of the four issues.