MAFAT — Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D)

Funds Israeli defense research and advanced technology development for national security and dual-use applications.

MAFAT, the Directorate of Defense Research & Development, is the joint R&D directorate of Israel's Ministry of Defense and the IDF. It exists to move defense ideas into operational technology, bridging academia, industry, and the military across a staff of roughly 1,000 people. Its remit reaches AI, cyber, autonomous systems, aerospace, space, land systems, and marine technology.

Most of its money moves through classified contracts to established defense contractors, so the public-facing grant surface is narrow. The visible innovation routes are INNOFENSE, a dual-use startup track co-funded with the Israel Innovation Authority, and the broader defense innovation programs, which carry a disclosed maximum award of ILS 20 million. The public materials also point to elite talent programs such as Talpiot, Psagot, and Katzir.

For founders, the fit is concentrated in dual-use startup work, digital security, robotics, and other emerging technologies that can support national defense. The organization has also signaled a policy shift to direct at least 10% of R&D budgets toward startups, which should matter to early-stage teams that can tolerate a defense procurement environment. Outside those tracks, MAFAT behaves more like a strategic defense R&D authority than a conventional open-grant funder.