U.S.-Israel BIRD fund approves $7.5 million in grants for seven joint tech projects
$20 million in combined investment spans AI, healthcare, cybersecurity and agriculture.
The Board of Governors of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved $7.5 million in grants for seven new joint projects between American and Israeli companies, supporting a combined $20 million in total investment when paired with private-sector funding.
The BIRD Foundation, which promotes industrial cooperation between companies in the two countries, provides conditional grants of up to $1.5 million per project and helps match partners for joint development. Projects are evaluated by BIRD staff together with evaluators appointed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Israel Innovation Authority.
The latest round brings the total number of BIRD-backed collaborations to more than 1,200 over nearly five decades. Since its establishment, the foundation has invested about $465 million in joint projects, which it says have generated more than $10 billion in revenues.
The seven newly approved projects span healthcare, agriculture, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. They include a partnership between Brevel of Israel and Ayana Bio of the U.S. to develop plant cell cultivation using illuminated fermentation for bioactive ingredients, and a collaboration between Greeneye Technology and Nutrien Ag Solutions on AI-driven targeted spraying systems for agriculture.
In cybersecurity, Ensights AI Renewable Energy and Solitude Labs will work on operational technology security for critical infrastructure systems.
In healthcare, several projects target diagnostics and therapeutics: HT Vet and VCA Animal Hospitals are developing non-invasive screening tools for animal tumors, while Identifai-Genetics and Inocras Inc. are advancing a cfDNA-based prenatal test for monogenic disorders.
Other collaborations include a cell therapy program for progressive multiple sclerosis between Neurogenesis and OrganaBio, and a precision treatment platform for depression developed by NeuroKaire and MindfulCare.
Dr. Alon Stopel, chief scientist of innovation at Israel’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and co-chair of BIRD’s Board of Governors, said the selected projects reflect “the depth and vitality of the technological partnership between the U.S. and Israel,” adding that cooperation is generating “groundbreaking solutions” across healthcare, cybersecurity and foodtech.
