BIRD Foundation approves $6.55 million for six new projects
BIRD Foundation approves $6.55 million for six new projects
The projects relate to innovations in Environment, Electro-optics, Healthcare IT, and Quantum Computing
The BIRD Foundation has announced that during its annual meeting, the Board of Governors approved $6.55 million in funding for six new projects between Israeli and American companies. In addition to the grants from BIRD, the projects will also access private-sector funding bringing the total investment in all projects to $16 million.
“In these challenging times, both in Israel and globally, the approval of these six innovative projects underscores the resilience and creativity of our collaborative efforts,” said Jaron Lotan, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation. “The BIRD Foundation remains committed to fostering groundbreaking US-Israeli partnerships that address critical needs and drive technological advancements. We are proud to support initiatives that enhance our industries and contribute to a brighter, more sustainable future.”
The projects approved are:
- Amarel Embedded Solutions (AES) (Yokne'am, Israel) and Gleason Corporation (Rochester, NY) - which develop a Smart Machine platform to provide real-time feedback on the machining process.
- CyberRidge (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Molex (Lisle, IL) - which develop a next-gen optical key technology for post-quantum photonic layer encryption.
- Datos Health (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Permanente Health Care Ventures (Portland, OR) - which develop a digital-first home-based pulmonary rehabilitation service.
- Groundwork BioAg (Mazor, Israel), and Indigo Agriculture Inc. (Boston, MA) - which develop a polymicrobial system combining mycorrhizal inoculants enabling carbon removal and bacterial inoculants enabling efficient nitrogen acquisition for emission reduction in Agriculture.
- Quai.MD (Tel Aviv, Israel) and MUSC Health (Charleston, SC) - which develop and implement a Clinical Process Automation Platform to guide providers in the emergency department.
- Quantum Art (Ness Ziona, Israel) and BlueQubit Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) - which develop and optimize a quantum machine learning algorithm and a quantum processor configuration and methods.
The submitted projects were reviewed by BIRD staff and evaluators appointed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Israel Innovation Authority. NIST Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services Mojdeh Bahar said: “I am proud of the hard work the BIRD Foundation team has put into bringing these companies together. The projects approved during this award cycle center on advanced technologies with great commercial relevance. I join my fellow BIRD Foundation colleagues in congratulating this cycle’s grant recipients.”
The BIRD Foundation promotes collaborations between American and Israeli companies in a variety of tech sectors for joint product development. In addition to grants of up to $1.5 million, it works with companies to identify potential strategic partners and facilitate introductions. The six projects approved by the Board of Governors bring the total number of projects to more than 1,100 during its 47-year history. To date, BIRD’s total investment in joint projects exceeds $396 million, helping to generate direct and indirect sales of over $10 billion.
