Release Date: March 30, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Newswise — WASHINGTON D.C. — To help stimulate, promote, and support industrial research and development mutually beneficial to the United States and Israel, the Israel – U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Homeland Security (HLS) program is seeking proposals for collaborative projects to develop advanced homeland security technologies. The 2021 Call for Proposals is a joint initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Israel Ministry of Public Security (MOPS).
“The BIRD HLS program raises awareness of capability gaps within the global innovation ecosystem and helps build relationships between industry and homeland security organizations, both in Israel and the U.S.,” said DHS Acting Under Secretary for Science and Technology William N. Bryan. “This continued partnership allows us to work with international partners to find innovative technology solutions for homeland security needs.
The 2021 Call for Proposals seeks to develop technologies with significant commercial potential and to improve capabilities in the field of homeland security, including:
- Technologies and methods to secure critical infrastructure and public facilities
- Technologies focused on safe and secure cities
- Border protection, including maritime security
- Law enforcement-supporting technologies to combat cyber crime
- Unmanned aerial systems
- Advanced first responder technologies
Proposals must include research and development cooperation between a U.S. and an Israeli company or research organization to create innovative technologies that lead to commercialization.
“We are pleased to announce the 2021 BIRD HLS Call for Proposals. This is our sixth year of the program, and we are proud to continue supporting cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies to provide innovative solutions for some of the most critical security mission needs in both countries,” said Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation.
The BIRD HLS program submission deadline for executive summaries is April 27, 2021, and final proposals are due June 15, 2021. Projects will be selected for award in August 2021. A full description of submission requirements can be found on the BIRD Foundation website.
Learn more:
The BIRD Foundation is a unique U.S.-Israeli partnership that accelerates cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies, academia, and other research institutions in a wide range of technology sectors to foster strategic partnerships between companies in both countries for the purpose of joint product development. Since 2016, BIRD HLS has funded 11 projects to provide innovative solutions to fulfill critical homeland security needs in both countries. The program funds up to 50 percent of the combined project budget, up to $1 million per project, and works with companies to identify potential strategic partners and facilitate introductions.
S&T’s mission is to enable effective, efficient, and secure operations across all homeland security missions by applying scientific, engineering, analytic, and innovative approaches to deliver timely solutions and support departmental acquisitions. Created by Congress in 2003, S&T conducts basic and applied research, development, demonstration, testing and evaluation activities relevant to DHS. For more information about S&T, visit scitech.dhs.gov.
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