The BAG-Alliance – a Trans-national Virtual Institute
The BAG (Bordeaux-Adelaide-Geisenheim) Alliance is a trilateral partnership in grape and wine research, advanced education and technology transfer.
On October 10, 2015, the representatives of three of the world’s leading grape and wine research organizations, the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) (Bordeaux, France), the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) (Adelaide, Australia), and the Hochschule Geisenheim University (HGU) (Geisenheim, Germany), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form a new wine research alliance.
Over several years prior to this date, the idea of a strategic research alliance had been discussed with the general objective of forming a “virtual institute” for facilitating the exchange of people, projects and information between the institutions and their relevant stakeholders.
The institute is conceived as an “open institute”, and other institutions will be able to join the Alliance after the core has been set in place and the initial projects and funding period are finished.
The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) is the Australian grape and wine industry’s own research organization. It supports a sustainable and successful grape and wine industry through world class research, practical solutions and knowledge transfer.
The Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) brings together the research teams of the Aquitaine area whose activities are relevant to viticulture and the wine industry. Its activities include research, consulting as well as higher education in viticulture, enology and social sciences.
Hochschule Geisenheim University (HGU) is an institution of research, higher education and knowledge transfer focused on subjects covering the entire value chain from production to marketing of special crops and their products (mainly beverages) as well as the development of rural and urban spaces.
The institutions aim to achieve a number of strategic benefits for their respective grape and wine industries under the alliance, including the following:
• An ability to address global issues including the environment, water efficiency, climate change and wine in society (including the impact of wine on human health);
• Capitalize on the strong synergies between the institutions – collectively the institutions offer world-class expertise and infrastructure at each aspect of the wine value chain, allowing for the creation of the world’s first ‘global critical mass’ at a global level;
• Facilitate an increased international awareness of research programs conducted at each institution, providing a base for more practical extension activities without duplication of research programs – thereby increasing efficiency and maximizing the return on each dollar invested in each country;
• Enhance the speed of delivery of research outputs to industry by conducting parallel trials in diverse climatic conditions and across two vintages each year;
• Have a basis for annual meetings and interaction/exchange of institution leaders, key staff members and students;
• Development of standard agreements and frameworks to reduce the lead time required to commence new projects;
• Development of a platform for international collaborative efforts that engage other institutions around the world, enhancing links with the international wine research
community and paving the way for an ‘open innovation’ era of grape and wine science; and
• Attracting additional funds and investment for collaborative grape and wine R&D.
Founders:
Hans Reiner Schultz, Manfred Großmann, Dan Johnson, Sakkied Petrorius, Markus Herderich, Serge Delrot, Alain Blanchard, Denis Dubourdieu
Bordeaux-Adelaide-Geisenheim, June 26, 2015
