Vit & Eno Research Committee Membership Criteria
The information below outlines expectations of members of the OWB’s Viticulture & Enology Research Committee.
If Research Committee service is of interest, please complete the form at the bottom of the page. Applications will be considered by the Steering Committee in November each year for service the following year.
See rosters and leadership for all OWB committees
Introduction to the Research Committee
The OWB’s strategic plan for Viticulture & Enology Research lays out the vision of championing continuous improvement of Oregon’s capacity to produce world-class wines that reflect a sense of place by sponsoring industry-leading research in the development of sustainable practices and climate-adaptive skills.
The OWB’s V&E Research Committee works to deliver on this vision by setting priorities for funding of scientific research projects that advance the practices of grape growing and winemaking in Oregon. The Committee does its work through annually endorsing a Request for Proposals (RFP), and by thoroughly and fairly reviewing applications for grant monies submitted in response.
The Committee is comprised of volunteers from around Oregon’s wine regions who commit to participating in the grant review process and fulfilling the duties outlined below.
JOIN US!
Committee membership criteria
- Resident of Oregon or a shared AVA border state
- Currently working in the Oregon wine industry either in a viticulture or enology role
- Have at least 4 years experience working in viticulture or enology, with at least 2 of those in Oregon
- Show an appreciation for and understanding of the scientific process
- Be willing to participate actively via email and during meetings (virtual or in-person)
- Be able to read and understand the format of scientific papers, abstracts, technical journals
Member required duties
- Actively participate in reviewing grant applications:
- Become trained on and adhere to the adhere to the OWB V&E Research Proposal Review Guide. New members to the Research Committee are asked to attend a virtual training on project proposal reviews in February.
- Review assigned grant applications during the March-April review window. Applications will be assigned by the Steering Committee and will align with your focus in either viticulture or enology.
- Proactively come forward with potential conflicts of interest you may have with assignments.
- Annually attend two full-day meetings, in-person or online. In-person meeting are typically held in Corvallis:
- Spring: Grant Application Review and Funding Meeting
- August: Progress Update Meeting
- The estimated time commitment for the average reviewer is 10 hours (2 hrs per project assignment) in addition to meetings, concentrated in late winter / early spring.
Lead reviewer required duties
For volunteer veteran V&E Research Committee members and accelerated new members you will be assigned as a Lead Reviewer for at least 1 specific project in your area of focus. For each assigned project, duties for Lead Reviewers are as follows:
- Develop an in depth understanding of the project proposal.
- Write a summary of the project describing the work (pros and cons if any) and reviewers’ assessment, including co-reviewer comments, project benefits and shortcomings, and an evaluation of the project’s applicability to Oregon grape growing or winemaking. This is to be submitted to OWB prior to the spring application review meeting.
- Provide a verbal introduction to the assigned project at the spring Application Review meeting.
- Check in with the review team and make sure people are keeping up with their assigned projects.
- Monitor for conflict of interest among assignees on lead review projects.
- Mentor new committee members through the review process as required.
- The estimated additional time commitment for Lead Reviewers will depend on the number and status of assigned projects.
