Page 3 - Signals

A COMMITMENT
TO SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY
The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) was founded 40
years ago on the premise that there
is great bene t to the development and application of science when aca- demia, government, and industry work together to resolve issues of mutual interest. During this period, the work
of ILSI—and all its branches—has vali- dated this initial premise. However, this would not be the case if the research conducted did not adhere to the high- est standards of scienti c integrity. Two generations removed, this principle
of scienti c integrity remains at the core of all that we do. Today, we nd ourselves in a consumer and activist environment that is increasingly skepti- cal of the integrity of all institutions and their work, regardless of how solid their history and track record.
In 2007, the ILSI North America Board of Trustees created the Con ict of Interest & Scienti c Integrity Working Group. The Working Group has focused on issues of con ict of inter- est, including developing “guiding principles” for industry funding of research, addressing issues around funding source and bias, developing criteria for participation on scienti c advisory panels, and publishing a set of 12 principles for best practices in the initiation, development, and operation of public-private research partnerships. In 2015 the Working Group shifted
its focus to scienti c integrity and has changed its name to the Scienti c Integrity Working Group to re ect this new mission, with the goal of continu- ing to ensure and enhance the integrity of food and nutrition scienti c literature and research.
Scienti c integrity is everyone’s issue. Industry, government, and academic scientists all have the same need to be able to trust that their business deci- sions, regulatory and policy guidance, and development of research pro- grams are based on scienti c literature that is accurate and reports results obtained in a scienti cally credible manner. Issues of scienti c integrity will continue to loom large for the future and issues related to COI will not be
going away anytime soon. It is import- ant now, as it has been in the past, that ILSI North America's programs embody these founding principles and that we continue to champion the highest standards of scienti c integrity for all sectors involved in food, nutri- tion, and food safety research.
All of the progress made by ILSI
North America would not be achieved without the talent and expertise of our academic advisors and government liaisons who work so diligently to sup- port our industry members in order to develop and advance our programs.
We greatly appreciate the support received from our member scientists who help to set the long-term prior- ities of our committees and provide ongoing direction and monitoring
of our program progress. We are grateful to our fellow Board of Trustee members who give willingly of their time, contributing invaluable insight, guidance, and organizational over- sight. Finally, we must recognize the talent and commitment of the ILSI North America staff, for without their dedication, we would be unable to sustain program progress and deliver results that ful ll our mission.
We remain personally committed to the ILSI North America mission, which we believe must be anchored in the core value of scienti c integrity. We understand that we operate in an envi- ronment that has become increasingly skeptical and less trusting and will continue to question and challenge all sources of research data. We welcome this challenge as we continue to cham- pion the pursuit of objective, rigorous, and transparent scienti c research. We remain dedicated to making people’s lives healthier and safer.
Liz Westring, PhD President, Board of Trustees ILSI North America
Daryl Lund, PhD
Chair, Board of Trustees ILSI North America
Eric Hentges, PhD
Executive Director, ILSI North America
Liz Westring
Daryl Lund
www.ilsina.org
Eric Hentges
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