The Board of Governors of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved $8 million in funding for nine new projects between U.S. and Israeli companies. In addition to the grants from BIRD, the projects will access private sector funding, boosting the total value of all projects to approximately $18 million.
The BIRD Foundation promotes collaborations between U.S. and Israeli companies in various technological fields for the purpose of joint product development. In addition to providing conditional grants of up to $1 million for approved projects, the Foundation assists by working with companies to identify potential strategic partners and facilitate introductions.
Projects submitted to the BIRD Foundation are reviewed by evaluators appointed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Israel Innovation Authority.
The nine projects approved by the Board of Governors are in addition to the 992 projects which the BIRD Foundation has approved for funding during its 42-year history. To date, BIRD’s total investment in joint projects is over $350 million, helping to generate direct and indirect sales of more than $10 billion.
The projects approved include:
- Advanced MemTech and Agar Corporation to develop oil-water separation membrane technology for the oil & gas industries.
- AgroScout and Birdstop to develop a digital agronomy system for automated early detection of crop diseases and pests using a drone-in-a-box platform.
- DosentRx and Contents Trader to develop novel technology for homecare medication tracking and management and integration into the U.S. specialty pharmacy ecosystem.
- Fluence Water Products and Innovation and Energy Systems Group to develop and demonstrate a new energy efficient process for nitrogen removal in water resource recovery facilities, which use anaerobic digesters for sludge treatment.
- GaitBetter and Spaulding Rehabilitation Network to develop a motor-cognitive intervention to improve gait and mobility in stroke survivors by adding a virtual reality experience to treadmill training.
- MDI Health Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific to develop a system for providing personalized & precise medication treatments.
- Nanolock Security and Micron Technology to develop a cyber security solution to prevent and monitor persistent attacks on connected media devices.
- OncoHost and RayBiotech Life to develop and clinically validate a Host Response test for the early prediction of treatment responsiveness in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immunotherapy
- Raicol Crystals and Qubitekk to develop an efficient miniaturized entangled photon source for quantum computing.
