BIRD Foundation Funds $7.5M in Israel–U.S. Tech Partnerships Across AI, Health, and Cybersecurity
Seven joint Israeli-American projects receive new funding, with total investment expected to reach $20 million as the long-running innovation partnership continues to expand its global impact
Photo: BIRD Foundation PR
The BIRD Foundation, the Israel–U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, has approved $7.5 million in funding for seven joint projects between Israeli and American companies. In addition to the foundation’s grants, the projects are expected to attract additional private-sector funding, bringing the total investment volume to approximately $20 million.
The approved projects span a wide range of fields—from smart agriculture and food tech, through cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, to healthcare, mental health, and pharmaceuticals. The foundation emphasizes that the program aims to encourage technological collaboration between the two countries and accelerate the development of commercial products based on joint innovation.
Among the notable initiatives are: a collaboration between Israel’s Brevel and the U.S.-based Ayana Bio to produce active plant-based ingredients using illuminated fermentation; the development of an AI-based agricultural spraying system by Greeneye and Nutrien Ag Solutions; and the development of cybersecurity solutions for critical infrastructure systems in cooperation between Ensights AI and Solitude Labs.
In the healthcare and biotech sector, the projects include the development of non-invasive scanning technologies for tumor detection in animals (HT Vet and VCA Animal Hospitals), cfDNA-based prenatal diagnostic technology (Identifai Genetics and Inocras), cell therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis (Neurogenesis and OrganaBio), and the development of personalized treatments for depression based on precision medicine (NeuroKaire and MindfulCare).
Dr. Alon Stopel, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority and co-chair of the foundation’s Board of Governors, said the projects highlight the depth of technological cooperation between Israel and the United States, particularly in the fields of healthcare, cybersecurity, and agriculture. According to him, “BIRD Foundation support accelerates innovation and strengthens the economic and technological resilience of both countries.”
Mike Molnar, NIST representative and co-chair of the foundation, noted that risk-sharing between the two countries enables the development of breakthrough technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and advanced medicine, adding that the projects are intended to become commercially viable solutions with global impact.
Yaron Lotan, the foundation’s Executive Director, emphasized that the combination of Israeli and American expertise creates “value greater than the sum of its parts” and accelerates the development of technologies that respond to evolving market needs while generating long-term economic value.
The foundation has been operating for nearly five decades and reports that it has supported more than 1,200 technological collaborations between Israel and the United States, with cumulative investments exceeding $465 million and generating over $10 billion in revenues from joint projects.