American Vineyard Foundation Research Grant

The American Vineyard Foundation Research Grant aims to support research projects that address critical challenges in viticulture and enology. By funding innovative solutions, the AVF focuses on enhancing grape and wine quality while promoting sustainable practices. Education and outreach are integral, ensuring that research findings are effectively communicated to the wine community. Researchers are encouraged to align proposals with current industry priorities to foster impactful advancements in the field.

The AVF is committed to employing the recommendations of its review committees to fund research priority projects that attempt to solve viticulture and enological problems, improve grape and wine quality, focus on sustainable strategies and provide pathways for dissemination of research results to the wine community.
The AVF is fully committed to addressing the industry's top research priorities.  The AVF conducts an industry-wide survey to define the most current research priorities.  We encourage researchers to develop proposals that address these priorities.
Education & Outreach Guidelines:
Regular education and outreach efforts are highly valued to keep the industry well informed with research progress and results. These efforts may include, but are not limited to: articles in trade publications, presentations at venues such as: Unified Symposium, ASEV, the UCD Wine & Wine Grape Research Seminar, Wine Business Monthly Trade Shows, “Research On the Road Seminars,” webinars and other online communications and progress report summaries for AVF web-posting etc... The level of PI education and outreach activity will be taken into close consideration when AVF Review Committees are evaluating proposals for continuing projects/research in progress.
AVF Research Priorities:

• The AVF is committed to employing the recommendations of its review committees to fund research priority projects that:

attempt to solve viticulture and enological problemsimprove grape and wine qualityfocus on sustainable strategies andprovide pathways for dissemination of research results to the wine community.
The industry research priority themes are broad, interdisciplinary and oriented toward fostering the development of industry ‘deliverables’ from the research effort.  At the same time, AVF recognizes that many proposals will likely be much narrower in scope or focus due to logistical and funding constraints.
Please note that the AVF is increasing its emphasis on outreach and education to facilitate rapid adoption of new knowledge, practices and technology by grape and wine producers.  This will include:
Consideration of objectives in research proposals that contain a budgeted information transfer component (principal Investigators may consider inclusion of extension educators as coPI’s or cooperators)A separate review category for projects that are specifically designed to address education and outreach needs

Eligibility

We encourage researchers to develop proposals that address the most current research priorities.AVF Equipment Purchase Policy: The American Vineyard Foundation has established a policy, subject to revision in future research proposal requests (RFP's), addressing the use of AVF funds for the purchase of analytical equipment valued at $5,000 or more based on the following criteria:The request for the purchase of equipment must be directly linked with research proposals or priorities supported by the AVF.The equipment must be available to multiple users and said equipment users must be identified and their use of the equipment explained in accompanying letters of support.Should the AVF approve one or more proposals requesting the purchase of equipment, the AVF will match funds contributed by a researcher or institution up to $25,000 pursuant to the documentation of available matching funds by the requesting entity.  Should the AVF approve an equipment purchase and the matching researcher or institutional funds are subsequently not available, the AVF's funding of said purchase shall be withdrawn.Should the researcher desire to purchase a specific piece of equipment required for a research project also submitted to the AVF for funding, the request for the purchase of said equipment shall be submitted as a separate and stand alone project.

Ineligibility

The AVF does not pay overhead. With the creation of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Pierces’s Disease Control Board and the anticipated continuation of the University of California Pierce’s Disease Research Program, the AVF will not accept proposals dealing with research on Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter for the 2019-2020 funding cycle. Please also note that the AVF will not accept proposals from researchers who have any outstanding progress and/or final reports.