BIRD Energy has announced its tenth funding cycle for US-Israel joint project proposals with a focus on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
To be considered, a project proposal must include R&D cooperation between two companies or cooperation between a company and a university/research institution (one from the US and one from Israel). The proposal should have significant commercial potential and the project outcome should lead to commercialization.
As examples of research and development topics within the scope of this call, the BIRD Foundation mentions: Solar and Wind Power, Advanced Vehicle Technologies and Alternative Fuels, Smart Grid, Storage, Water-Energy Nexus, Advanced Manufacturing or any other Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency technology.
The conditional grant per project is up to 50% of the R&D costs associated with the joint project, and up to a maximum of $1 million per project.
The US-Israel energy cooperation was strengthened significantly in 2014 when the US Congress passed a law promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries. According to US Energy Secretary Rick Perry, “this kind of collaboration will be mutually beneficial and allow both countries to achieve their economic and security energy goals.”
Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation, said: "We are pleased to encourage joint U.S.-Israel projects relating to green energy and energy efficiency. This is the tenth year that the BIRD Energy program has been working to promote technological developments in the renewable energy sector. Since the beginning of the BIRD Energy program, 42 projects have been approved, several of which are starting to generate commercial success and initial sales."
BIRD Energy was established following an agreement between the US Department of Energy/EERE and the Israel Ministry of Energy and Water Resources to promote and support joint research and collaborations in the field of Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency. BIRD Energy is administered by the BIRD Foundation, which has been promoting cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies in various technology sectors since 1977.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 22, 2018
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