International Life Sciences Institute North America: Scientific Integrity Review

The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) is a nonprofit, worldwide organization whose mission is to provide science that improves human and environmental health. For 40 years, ILSI has addressed problems in food, nutrition and environmental sciences by engaging experts in academia, government and industry. Since 2007 ILSI’s largest branch, ILSI North America has worked extensively with federal agencies and scientific professional societies to develop a framework—the Guiding Principles for Private Funding of Food Science and Nutrition Research (the Guiding Principles)—to ensure scientific integrity within multi-sector food and nutrition research partnerships. These Guiding Principles were simultaneously published in six high-impact peer-reviewed journals with the expectation that all of ILSI North America’s research activities are conducted in this manner.

ILSI North America engaged the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) to conduct an in-depth analysis of its projects from 2013 to 2017 in comparison to the Guiding Principles. The purpose of the review was to provide objective, external verification that all research activities conducted at ILSI North America adhered to the Guiding Principles.