Approval Of Questionable Grant By CPRIT Blamed On Former CCO

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AUSTIN (KRLD-AM) - The approval of a questionable $11 million grant awarded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute (CPRIT) is being blamed on the former Chief Commercialization Officer.

Jerry Cobbs is accused of misleading the Executive Director and the CPRIT Oversight board who approved the grant to start-up bio-tech firm, Damascus.

A series of emails on June 11 2010 between Cobbs and Executive Director Bill Gimson seem to show Cobbs allowing Gimson to believe Damascus had passed peer review process and was eligible for the grant. Earlier emails from peer-review board members to Cobbs clearly show the board wasn't going to approve the application.

Cobbs' defense team claims it can prove CPRIT's corporate counsel, the executive director and the head of the oversight committee were all aware this application was not going through the traditional process outlined in the rules and regulations. Cobbs' attorney Rusty Hardin calls his client a 'scapegoat.'

The trial will continue next week.

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