BIRD - Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial R&D Foundation to invest $7.9 million in 9 new projects: The approved projects, with an overall budget of $20 million, involve innovations in the areas of Drones, Energy Efficiency, Environment Protection, Medical Devices, Pharma, Software and AI

TEL AVIV, Israel, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During its meeting on June 14, 2022, held in Washington D.C., the Board of Governors of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved $7.9 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 $20 million.

The BIRD Foundation promotes collaborations between U.S. and Israeli companies in various technological sectors for joint product development. In addition to providing conditional grants of up to $1 million (and in rare cases up to $1.5m for exceptional projects), the Foundation assists by working with companies to identify potential strategic partners and facilitate introductions.

The submitted projects are reviewed by evaluators appointed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Israel Innovation Authority.

The nine projects approved by the Board of Governors are in addition to the 1000 projects which the BIRD Foundation has approved for funding during its 44-year history. To date, BIRD's total investment in joint projects is over $370 million, helping to generate direct and indirect sales of more than $10 billion.

The projects approved include:

• Compentex Ltd. (Yavne, Israel) and ChemImage Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA) to develop NurseSpace- a portable AI-based error-preventing robot for automated identification, dispensing, and administration of medications
• Extreme Simulations (Tel Aviv, Israel) and SynDaver Labs (Tampa, FL) to develop a modular manikin for healthcare training that meets the needs of life-threatening events through the healthcare system
• FlyWorks (Beer-Sheva, Israel) and DelMar Aerospace (Las-Vegas, NV) to develop a novel high-performance UAS solution for detecting greenhouse gas emissions over large-scale energy infrastructure
• High Lander Ltd. (Raanana, Israel) and Stephenson Technologies Corporation (Baton Rouge, LA) to develop an Enhanced Drone Digital Sensor Dome providing Domain Awareness for Critical Infrastructures
• Overwolf (Ramat Gan, Israel) and Kidas, Inc. (Philadelphia, PA) to develop voice and text chat protection in gaming
• Tech Innosphere Engineering, dba Innosphere, (Haifa, Israel), and Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) to develop and evaluate a wearable brain stimulation medical device for treating ADHD
• Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Tel Aviv, Israel) and FIND Surgical Sciences (Boston, MA), to develop and commercialize a clinical decision support system for neurological and psychiatric disorders
• Wavelength Pharmaceuticals, a SEQENS company (Petah Tikva, Israel) and On Demand Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, MD) to advance the development and pilot of an on demand medicine manufacturing system
• ZutaCore (Shaar Hanegev, Israel) and World Wide Technology (St. Louis, MO) to develop technology for eco-friendly transformation of data centers: ESG compliance to net-zero carbon and water by revolutionizing and optimizing cooling energy and heat reuse

Ms. Mojdeh Bahar, Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and co-Chair of BIRD's Board of Governors said: "The diverse array of projects funded through the BIRD Foundation demonstrates how international cooperation can spur creative solutions and bring important solutions and services to the market. The BIRD Foundation brings together companies from Israel and the U.S. that possess a strong balance of technical expertise and commercial foresight. The challenges these projects seek to address-in patient care and therapeutics, energy efficiency, industrial services, and more, support essential sectors of our economy. We wish all the companies great success!"

Dr. Amiram Appelbaum, Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, and co-Chair of BIRD's Board of Governors said: "Our long-standing collaboration with the BIRD Foundation has yielded some spectacular technological innovations.  We are proud that the Foundation supports various technologies that will make a difference in the productivity and the standard of living for the people of both countries. In the post-COVID-19 world, these technologically groundbreaking projects will improve the health and quality of life for citizens of both countries as well as provide solutions that deal with the global climate crisis. We congratulate the awarded companies and look forward to the successful results of their innovative products."

Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation, said: "The selected projects reflect a diverse group of technology sectors, company size, and U.S. geographical locations. This is very rewarding as it results from our continuous outreach efforts and close interactions with companies interested in U.S.-Israel R&D partnerships. We congratulate the winners and wish them much success in their innovative joint projects." 

The deadline for submission of Executive Summaries for the next BIRD cycle is September 7, 2022. Approval of projects will take place in December 2022.

About the BIRD Foundation

The BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation works to encourage and facilitate cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and offers funding to selected projects.

The Foundation supports projects without receiving any equity or intellectual property rights from the participating companies or the projects, themselves. BIRD funding is repaid as royalties from sales of products that were commercialized as a result of BIRD support. The Foundation provides funding of up to 50% of a project's budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not require repayment if the project fails to reach the sales stage.

For more information, please contact, in Israel: Ms. Limor Nakar-Vincent, Deputy Executive Director of Business Development and BIRD Energy, Tel: +972-3-698-8310, [email protected]. In the U.S., contact: Ms. Andrea Yonah, Director, Business Development, East Coast/Midwest, Tel: +1-609-356-0305, [email protected], Ms. Shiri Freund-Koren, Director, Business Development, South, Tel: +1-512-436-1609 or Ms. Maya Vardi Shoshani, Director, Business Development, West Coast, Tel: +1-650-752-6485, [email protected]. 

SOURCE The BIRD Foundation