US-Israel Foundation To Invest $7.45M In 8 New Joint Projects

The Israel-US Binational Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation announced this week that it will invest $7.45 million in eight new joint projects between Israeli and American companies in the fields of medical devices, agtech, advanced manufacturing, communications, and healthcare IT.

The foundation, which was created in 1977 to foster collaboration between Israeli and American industries, said that the projects will also have access to private sector funding, which will bring the total amount of all projects to over $18 million.

The organization works with all companies to identify strategic partners.  The projects are reviewed by evaluators from the Israel Innovation Authority and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The eight projects are as follows:

-Israeli firm Aero-Magnesium, a magnesium technologies developer for the aerospace and defense industries and Texas-based airline seats company Safran Seats USA will develop weight reduction solutions for aircraft seating applications based on magnesium technologies.

-Tel Aviv-based company AIO ME and New York’s Finastra Financial Technology Corporation will develop a next-generation Loan-Origination-System to automatically collect and verify customer data while maintaining regulatory compliance.

-Kfar Saba satellite technologies company Ayecka Communication Systems and Georgia-based IT service management company to develop a satellite communication and 5G virtual modem edge device to enable waveform technologists and service providers to input digitized waveforms for wireless transmission.

-Israeli-founded beehive sensors company BeeHero and California-based pollination services firm Tauzer Apiaries will develop a smart pollination platform for better crop yields.

-Israeli startup ContinUse Biometrics dba Donisi Health and Dell Technologies will develop a miniature optical module for health parameter sensing. 

-Israeli AI-based visual inspection firm Kitov Systems and Texas firm Capvidia NA will develop the CAD2SCAN, a process for using the digital 3D CAD model to automate visual inspection in production. 

– Haifa-based innovative scanners developer Marpé Technologies and Minnesota electronics manufacturing services firm Nortech Systems will develop a total-body tele-dermatology scanning system.

-Israel’s Squalus Medical and Ohio’s Fortec Medicla will come together to develop an innovative epilepsy laser treatment. 

“This joint collaboration resulted in groundbreaking technological innovations offered by both Israeli and U.S recipients of the grant. We are happy to note the increased number of applications submitted and wish much success to the winning teams and companies who were selected to receive the Fund’s grants,” Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority said in a press statement. 

Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, executive director of the BIRD Foundation, said that while the year 2020 was a challenging year for companies and entrepreneurs around the globe who had to adapt rapidly to doing business virtually, there was also a “significant increase in the number of proposals submitted to the Foundation,” he said.

“BIRD will continue to support U.S.-Israel collaboration in order to accelerate the development of advanced technologies in diverse fields for the benefit of both countries,” Dr. Yudilevich added.

“The strengths of the U.S. and Israeli innovation systems are clearly demonstrated by the diverse proposals the board considered this round.  By working together, the successful U.S. and Israeli companies are bringing forth cutting-edge technologies that advance manufacturing, communication and transportation, health, and food security,” said Dr. Walter Copan, undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology at the US Department of Commerce, “The global technology leadership of the United States and of Israel is strengthened through our close partnership, and the BIRD Foundation plays a unique and critical role in supporting the collaborative efforts.”

The eight projects approved by the Board of Governors are the latest of over 1,020 projects which the BIRD Foundation has approved for funding during its 43-year history. To date, BIRD’s total investment in joint projects has been approximately $350 million, helping to generate direct and indirect sales of over $10 billion, the foundation says.