Time and again, MAN comes up with the reason why progress is not achieved to the fullest. And the allocation of scarce funding does not escape the malignancy of human politics. The reflex to profit only those we know is entrenched in the core of humans, it bubbles inside of us, somewhat repressed by conscience and known rules of the game, but ultimately suppressed when it comes to reel deeds. Whether mischievious or unintended, these deeds corrupt the ultimate outcome, unintended or not.
In Texas the early years of CPRIT have been just that. Although the CPRIT concept was sane and well intended, putting in development was given to fund raisers of Universities. And what they put in place was a corrupt system which funneled funding to a few Universities and not the community of researchers as a whole. It took a few years to blow up in their face. You don't send to the moon or anywhere men in a political ship. Only a ship that is guided by solid unbiased science will make it through the peripetia of a natural world governed by true physics, mathematical and natural laws.
Although it is said that the review process is independent, you got to be an innocent kind to believe that reviewers are not hand picked, and trained to recognize the source of the submission. Indeed the CRBCM critics continue to write: "the project is ambitious, however the PI (principal investigator) is unknown". The merit went to prior knowledge of the man, but not the idea he submitted. The CRBCM will continue to submit ideas to these organizations because may be, just may there be a chance that one unique good soul is left in that institution, because even crooked minds can have a moment of lucidity and clairvoyance. So we will keep challenging them...and maybe our efforts help framing our argument as we use their free criticism, biased or not.
A friend of mine was working at NIH and told me, we usually receive a call to submit or write up a proposal on this or that at the last minute, and often we get the grant! and when I told him, I am writing a grant proposal, the answer was: "you are crazy wasting your time!"...It is who you know in the end!
Our fight is right, we believe strongly, because it is funded on facts, women continue to die of Breast cancer, and somehow we are managing to grow as if something, somewhere keeps us alive...January 1st, we acquired a new medical office (a retiring physician allowed us to take over his business). This has increased our foot print tremendously. These things happen for a reason, our true, just and innocent purpose of our coalition. Self funding is our true objective and desired position. Because anything less corrupts. CRBCM, still advancing purposefully!
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