Israel-US Program To Invest $9.6M In 10 New Tech Projects

By Shiri Epstein, NoCamels January 29, 2024 2 minutes

Flags of USA and Israel (Image: Depositphotos)

An Israel-US foundation is investing $9.6 million in 10 new projects jointly conducted by Israeli and American companies in the fields of agritech, biotech, electronics, energy, foodtech, healthcare and life sciences.

The BIRD Foundation (Binational Industrial Research and Development) encourages cooperation between US and Israeli companies in different technological sectors.

The foundation will provide grants up to $1.5 million for each project, along with assistance in identifying potential strategic partners and facilitating introductions.

In addition to the BIRD funding, each project will receive private sector funding that will boost the total investment to $24.5 million.

The projects are:

Celleste Bio (Misgav) and Mondelez International (Chicago, Illinois) will develop on-demand non-fat cocoa solids and powder using cell-base technology;

CENS Materials (Beer Sheva) and LiCAP Technologies (Sacramento, California) will develop a process to advance electric vehicle battery capacity and performance;

Diptera.ai (Jerusalem) and Vectech (Baltimore, Maryland) will use AI to monitor and control a mosquito, known as Anopheles Stephensi, which is highly effective in transmitting malaria;

Opmed.AI, formerly Greatnix (Herzliya), and Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) will develop an AI-driven planner that is meant to optimize procedure scheduling, enhance operating room efficiency and maximize resource utilization;

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Hypervision (Yokneam Illit) and Light Polymers (Santa Clara, California) will develop a liquid crystal-based polarized coating technology for virtual reality and mixed reality optics;

Imagin D airy (Haifa) and Ginkgo Bioworks (Boston, Massachusetts) will develop and manufacture non-whey dairy proteins;

Israel Aerospace Industries (Lod) and MELD Printworks (Christiansburg, Virginia) will develop large civil aviation components using Additive Friction Stir Deposition technology (a manufacturing technique that can be used to process metals);

LahakX (Ramat Hasharon) and Aero Systems West (San Martin, California) will develop heavy payload spraying drones for agriculture and fire prevention;

Sheba Medical Center (Ramat Gan) and Serpin Pharma (Manassas, Virginia) will perform a Phase II clinical trial to prove a targeted therapeutic to restore immune balance for patients with acute myocardial infarction;

Tissue Dynamics (Rehovot) and ATCC (Manassas, Virginia) will develop an advanced organoid kit for cardiac toxicity assessment.

“At BIRD, we take great pride in awarding grants to a record number of projects that strengthen US-Israeli collaborations, emphasizing innovations geared towards delivering commercial products,” said BIRD Executive Director Jaron Lotan.

“In this cycle, we witnessed a diverse range of projects across sectors and geographical regions, showcasing our commitment to fostering impactful partnerships and promoting innovation across diverse realms.”