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BIRD - Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial R&D Foundation to invest $6 million in 6 new projectsTEL AVIV, Israel, July 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- During its meeting on June 28, 2021, held via video conference, the Board of Governors of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved $6 million in funding for six new projects between U.S. and Israeli companies. In addition to the grants from BIRD, the projects will access private sector funding, boosting the total value of all projects to $13 million. The BIRD Foundation promotes collaborations between U.S. and Israeli companies in various technological sectors for joint product development. In addition to providing conditional grants of up to $1 million (up to $1.5m for exceptional projects), the Foundation assists by working with companies to identify potential strategic partners and facilitate introductions. Projects submitted to the BIRD Foundation are reviewed by evaluators appointed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Israel Innovation Authority. The six projects approved by the Board of Governors are in addition to the 1000 projects which the BIRD Foundation has approved for funding during its 44-year history. To date, BIRD's total investment in joint projects is over $370 million, helping to generate direct and indirect sales of more than $10 billion. The projects approved include:
Dr. Amiram Appelbaum, Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, and co-Chair of BIRD's Board of Governors said: "The partnership with the U.S. is highly significant for Israel, and the business partnerships between companies from both countries may be considered as 'a whole greater than the sum of its parts.' The BIRD Foundation's Board of Governors has selected six wonderful joint projects in the fields of cyber, healthcare, satellites and automation that will benefit from the collaborations. We wish them success and invite more companies to contact the BIRD Foundation in order to leverage its services." Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation, said: "In a world affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with almost no cross-border, in-person meetings taking place during this time, BIRD's role as a catalyst for the creation of new R&D partnerships has become even more impactful. The framework provided by the BIRD Foundation provides reduced risk and improved partnerships, attracting high quality, innovative proposals, which is reflected by the projects selected in this cycle." The deadline for submission of Executive Summaries for the next BIRD cycle is September 2, 2021. Approval of projects will take place during December 2021. About the BIRD Foundation The BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation works to encourage and facilitate cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and offers funding to selected projects. The Foundation supports projects without receiving any equity or intellectual property rights in the participating companies or the projects, themselves. BIRD funding is repaid as royalties from sales of products that were commercialized as a result of BIRD support. The Foundation provides funding of up to 50% of a project's budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not require repayment if the project fails to reach the sales stage. For more information, please contact: U.S.: Ms. Andrea Yonah,
SOURCE The BIRD Foundation 
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