The ILSI Risk Science Institute (RSI) was established in 1985 to advance the scientific basis of health and environmental risk assessment. Recognizing that public health and environmental protection policies should be based on the best available science, RSI activities serve as a catalyst for building educated consensus on scientific issues that can inform policy makers and regulators. RSI activities also support efforts to internationally harmonize risk assessment methodology. RSI accomplishes its work by initiating and organizing expert committees, workshops, conferences or training programs, as appropriate to the specific issue and objective.
As part of the ILSI Research Foundation, RSI operates under the guiding principles of scientific integrity, independence, and transparency. To develop scientific consensus on critical issues pertaining to risk assessment, RSI strives to involve the range of stakeholders – government, industry, academia and public interest groups/public health representatives - in its activities. Findings and conclusions developed from RSI-led committees, workshops and conferences are made public. By involving the range of stakeholders in its activities, by focusing solely on the evidence of science, and by fully communicating the results of its activities, RSI has earned broad-based respect and recognition for producing objective and timely contributions to the evolving discipline of risk assessment.
RSI projects are funded primarily through cooperative agreements with regulatory agencies such as USEPA and Health Canada. Funding is also obtained from such sources as: NIEHS, OECD, the European Commission, industry trade groups, the ILSI Research Foundation and ILSI Branches.