BIRD Foundation to invest $6 million in 5 new projects
BIRD Foundation to invest $6 million in 5 new projects
The decision highlights collaborative innovation in Electronics, Healthcare, Medical Devices, and Quantum Computing.
The Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation has approved $6 million in funding for five joint projects, leveraging private-sector support to bring the total investment to $15 million. The decision, made at the Board of Governors meeting in Tel Aviv at the end of last year, highlights collaborative innovation in Electronics, Healthcare, Medical Devices, and Quantum Computing.
The projects approved are:
- Medasense (Ramat Gan, Israel) and Blink Device Company (Seattle, WA) - to develop an advanced anesthesia monitoring system that tracks pain, muscle relaxation, and level of consciousness, helping doctors make accurate decisions during surgery.
- Qedma (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Amazon Web Services (Seattle, WA) - to develop HPC-enhanced quantum error mitigation designed to execute larger quantum circuits and drive progress in practical quantum computing applications.
- RespirAI Medical (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Right at Home (Omaha, NE) - to develop an AI-powered home monitoring platform for managing multiple chronic health conditions and early detection of flare-ups.
- SpotItEarly (Kibbutz Hamaapil, Israel) and Penn Medicine (Philadelphia, PA) - to develop, test, and validate an early cancer detection technology for multiple types of cancer that combines AI technology with dogs’ highly sensitive sense of smell.
- TriEye (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Lumotive (Redmond, WA) - to combine Lumotive’s beamforming technology based on LCM™ Chip (Light Control Metasurface) with TriEye’s CMOS-based SWIR imaging technology to build a compact, high-performance sensor for autonomous vehicles and other applications.
“We were thrilled to host the BIRD Foundation’s Board of Governors meeting once again in Tel Aviv,” said Jaron Lotan, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation. “During this cycle, the Board faced the challenge of selecting projects from an outstanding array of submissions reflecting partnerships between excellent companies. We are proud of those highly innovative initiatives chosen, spanning diverse fields such as medical diagnostics, medical devices, advanced electronics, and quantum computing.”
Dr. Alon Stopel, co-chair of the BIRD Board, highlighted the potential of these projects to improve lives: “These initiatives in healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and quantum computing reflect the strength of the U.S.-Israeli tech ecosystem.” Mike Moner, co-chair from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, emphasized the importance of partnerships: “The BIRD Foundation fosters impactful collaborations, driving innovation and commercialization.”
With a 47-year history and over 1,100 funded projects, the BIRD Foundation has invested $396 million, generating more than $10 billion in sales. In addition to providing conditional grants of up to $1.5 million, the Foundation assists by working with companies to identify potential strategic partners and facilitate introductions. The next funding cycle’s executive summaries are due by May 8, 2025, with approvals set for September 2025.
