The Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) http://www.birdf.com encourages and facilitates cooperation between U.S and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and also offers funding to selected projects.
The Board of Governors of the Israel and U.S BIRD Foundation are investing $2 million in two projects to foster advanced technologies for First Responders. In addition to the grants from BIRD, the projects will be able to access private sector funding boosting the total value of the two projects to about $4.5 million.
This program funds technology collaborations between U.S. and Israeli partners that show significant commercial potential to meet the most pressing requirements of first responders. This joint research effort supports the development of Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) technology capabilities.
The projects selected by the U.S Department of Homeland Security in their Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology and the Israeli Ministry of Public Security https://www.gov/il/en/Departments/ministry_of_public_security to advance technologies for first responders were awarded to:
- ELTA Systems in Ashdod, Israel, a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries along with TLC Solutions in St. Augustine Florida are going to develop an advanced drone mounted search and rescue system for locating victims under ruins and in disaster areas by determining an accurate location of the victim’s cell phone
- HiRiseTech in Israel, and Allstate Sprinkler Corp in Bronx New York are going to develop a first responder emergency radio repeater system to use in existing high rise buildings.
The BIRD Foundation promotes collaboration between U.S, and Israeli companies in various technological fields for the purpose of joint product development. In addition to providing conditional grants for approved projects, the foundation assists by working with companies to identify potential strategic partners.
Dr. Eltan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation said, “Our interactions with the First Responder Communities both in the U.S, and Israel have revealed a critical need for innovation and affordable technology that can be used in the field.”