Avocado Industry Members Encouraged to Be a Relevancy Reviewer for USDA SCRI Proposals
Members of the California avocado industry can help ensure USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) funded projects are meeting the priorities of the avocado sector by volunteering as a reviewer for SCRI pre-applications. SCRI is unique because it incorporates feedback from scientific reviewers and industry stakeholders. The Relevancy Review, which is conducted by industry stakeholders, is a critical component of ensuring SCRI projects are tackling a critical need for avocados. Reviewers can be growers, packers or shippers of specialty crops or staff from organizations that represent growers, packers or shippers of specialty crops.
The time commitment for a relevancy reviewer is about 15-20 hours total, spread over two months (usually February and March). Reviewers will be asked to:
- Review and provide thoughtful written feedback for 10 or fewer pre-applications using a rubric as a guide (based on previous experience, it takes about one hour to review a pre-application)
- Attend one 30-minute panel orientation
- Attend one two-hour virtual panel meeting (composed of 6-10 reviewers) to discuss reviews
Industry reviewers will be assigned to a panel related to their field of expertise, although in some cases they may review pre-applications outside their specific crop.
For those interested in serving as a relevancy reviewer, please email Jessica Shade, Tom Bewick, or Megan O’Reilly the following information:
- First and last name
- Email address to be used for review purposes
- Physical business address, including zip code
- Phone number
- Organization name
- Job title
- Brief statement or list of keywords indicating areas of expertise
