Role of the Persian Gulf Veterans' Coordinating Board in Scientific Evaluation of211 Research Proposals and the Funding Recommendations Made by Its Research Working 211 Group

摘要

The formation of the Persian Gulf Veterans' Coordinating Board (PGVCB) was211u001eannounced in early 1994 for the purpose of coordinating federal research and 211u001eother activities in response to illnesses reported by Gulf War veterans. The 211u001ePGVCB's Reserach Working Group (RWG) describes its charges as: (1) assessing the 211u001estate and direction of research, identifying gaps in factual knowledge and 211u001econceptual understanding; (2) identifying testable hypotheses and potential 211u001eresearch approaches; (3) reviewing research concepts as they are developed; (4) 211u001ecollecting and disseminating scientifically peer-reviewed information; and (5) 211u001einsuring that appropriate peer review and oversight are applied to research 211u001econducted and sponsored by the Federal Government. We (1) determined the role of 211u001ePGVCB's RWG in assessing the scientific merit of applications for grants to 211u001econduct Gulf War illness-related research and (2) identified the proposals that 211u001eRWG recommended for funding, those it did not recommend, and the proposals for 211u001ewhich funding was eventually announced.