Insider Brief
- The BIRD Foundation has approved $7.4 million in conditional grants for seven joint U.S.-Israel R&D projects, with total investment expected to reach $20 million, including private-sector funding.
- The selected projects cover quantum computing, satellite communications, semiconductor memory, AI-driven cancer detection, precision agriculture, digital pathology and medical 3D printing.
- The quantum computing project pairs Israel’s Qarakal Quantum with U.S.-based Quantum Elements to develop a minimum viable product for mapping complex surface-catalysis reactions using quantum computing.
PRESS RELEASE — In September 2026, the Board of Governors of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved $7.4 million in conditional grants for seven joint R&D projects between U.S. and Israeli companies. Including private-sector investment, total investment in the projects is expected to reach $20 million.
The BIRD Foundation supports strategic collaborations between U.S. and Israeli companies to jointly develop innovative products and technologies for global markets. In addition to providing conditional grants of up to $1.5 million per project, the Foundation helps companies identify suitable partners and build cross-border collaborations.
Projects submitted to BIRD are evaluated by BIRD staff and by expert reviewers appointed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and by the Israel Innovation Authority.
The seven newly approved projects bring the total number of BIRD-supported collaborations to more than 1,200 since the Foundation’s establishment in 1977. To date, BIRD has invested approximately $470 million in joint projects, helping generate more than $10 billion in direct and indirect revenue.
The newly approved projects are:
- Ibex Medical Analytics (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Proscia (Philadelphia, PA) will develop an AI-based precision oncology platform that automates biomarker scoring and integrates it into digital pathology workflows.
- NovaLink Space (Holon, Israel) and Ciena Corporation (Hanover, MD) will develop a compact, terabit-class satellite laser communication terminal that integrates NovaLink’s optical phased array (OPA) technology with Ciena’s coherent transceiver.
- Qarakal Quantum (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Quantum Elements (Westlake Village, CA) will develop a minimum viable product (MVP) that uses quantum computing to accurately map complex surface-catalysis reactions.
- RAAAM Memory Technologies (Petah Tikva, Israel) and GlobalFoundries (Malta, NY) will develop and qualify RAAAM’s GCRAM on-chip memory technology, which offers significant area and power reductions compared to SRAM technology, with no additional process steps or cost.
- SpotitEarly (Kibbutz Hamaapil, Israel) and Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia, PA) will 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.
- SeedX (Or Yehuda, Israel) and Illinois Foundation Seeds (Tolono, IL) will develop a high-precision seed-sorting solution for corn, sweet corn, and carrots based on SeedX’s proprietary AI-based sorting technology.
- CustoMED (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Myrava (Winston-Salem, NC) will develop an automated, in-hospital 3D-printing system for custom orthopedic tools, designed for use even in emergency surgeries.
Dr. Alon Stopel, Chairman of the Innovation Authority and Chief Scientist of Innovation at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and co-chair of BIRD‘s Board of Governors, said: “As the BIRD Foundation approaches its 50th anniversary, the technological partnership between Israel and the United States continues to demonstrate its strength as a driving force for breakthrough innovation. The projects selected this year are at the forefront of technologies that will shape humanity’s future: from quantum computing, space technologies, and semiconductors, which lay the foundation for the next technological revolutions, to AI-driven healthcare, cancer diagnostics, and precision agriculture, which can improve human health, food security, and quality of life. These are complex deep-tech fields with the potential to transform our world. For nearly five decades, the BIRD Foundation has enabled companies from both countries to combine expertise, share risks, and turn technological visions into tangible solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges.”
Mr. Mike Molnar, Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Office at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and co-chair of BIRD‘s Board of Governors, said: “The Board faced a ‘high-quality problem’ in reviewing such an outstanding collection of proposals this cycle. The selected projects have outlined high-impact research and development plans for advancements in quantum algorithms, semiconductor design, satellite communications, and other critical and emerging technology areas. The BIRD Foundation is continuing its long-held tradition of promoting innovation through complementary partnerships. Beyond the provision of matching project funds, the Foundation’s daily work of facilitating cooperation between partners helps companies take nascent technologies to market. I join my colleagues in congratulating the selected companies and wishing them great success.”
Mr. Jaron Lotan, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation, said: “In today’s global technology race, binational partnerships are a powerful driver of innovation and growth, and the partnership between Israel and the United States is among the most established and successful in the world. The BIRD Foundation is a unique platform for government-supported cooperation between the two countries, built on an equal partnership in which each side brings complementary capabilities, knowledge, and experience. Our role is to turn this collaboration into innovative technologies, commercial products, and jobs, while strengthening the competitiveness of both economies. We are pleased to announce the approval of seven new projects, each with significant potential to advance innovation and transform its respective market.”
The deadline for submitting Executive Summaries for the next BIRD funding cycle is November 23, 2026. Project approvals are expected in March 2027.