|
The Origin of Life Prize Program has been temporarily placed on hold. No new submissions are being accepted at the present time.
The Prize annuity, the considerable costs of judging each submission, and most of the administrative overhead over the last 10 years have been faithfully donated to the Foundation by a multi-millionaire donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The sponsor voluntarily signed many legally-binding documents and Promissory Notes necessary to pay out the Prize annuity should the Prize be awarded by the scientific community. Regular audits verify more than adequate liquid and long-term assets for the donor to provide the annuity.
Recently a party has understandably demanded to see this proof of the availability of funds. Responding to this request would require making public the legal paperwork underwriting the Prize, along with the audits of the personal finances of the multi-millionaire sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous. Proving the availability of funds would thus inevitably compromise the identity of the donor and unfairly make public his/her private finances.
We cannot fault the sponsor for wishing to remain anonymous, and stand by the sponsor's right to do so. The Foundation expresses its deep appreciation to our sponsor for the large sums of money already donated to the Foundation over the last 10 years. The Origin of Life Foundation Board of Directors, however, feels it is best to put the Prize program on hold until the sponsor decides how to respond to the demand for proof that the Prize money is collectable. The donor, for example, may decide to put a million dollars in escrow even though only $50,000 per year is needed over a twenty-year period.
Origin of Life Prize submissions require peer-reviewed major scientific journal publications. All judging is done by the scientific community at large. The Foundation itself plays no role in deciding who wins. The Prize has quickened great interest and stimulated considerable peer-reviewed research into gene emergence. Prior to the formal announcement of the Origin of Life Prize in NATURE and SCIENCE, this area of investigation received little attention. Many investigators in many countries have expressed their appreciation for the Foundation's bringing the subjects of primordial biocybernetics and biosemiotics is into better focus. It is unfortunate that one individual demanding to see the legal documents and personal audits of the donor may stifle what has been a highly productive scientific endeavor. But at the same time we appreciate the desire for assurance that the Prize value is collectable. Foundation lawyers went to great lengths to assure sound financial footing before the Prize was ever formally announced in NATURE and SCIENCE. But, until the anonymity question is resolved, the Prize program has been temporarily suspended.