In 1945, Research Corporation established its first formal grants program, The Frederick Gardner Cottrell Program of Postwar Grants. The grants were established to encourage talented young scientists returning from World War II to return to their college laboratories and classrooms to educate and inspire the next generation of scientists. During the early years of the foundation, grant approval had been based primarily on the scientific ability of the applicant and the apparent merit of his proposed research. With the inauguration of the Frederick Gardner Cottrell program, a new, often pivotal criterion was added: the contribution the proposed grant might make to the applicant’s institution.
