BARD Fund R&D Collaboration on Food and Nutrition

BARD Applied Research in Industry — Food and Nutrition

Funds Israeli industrial corporations doing applied R&D in food and nutrition through a collaboration with U.S. academic institutions backed by the BARD Foundation.

The BARD Applied Research in Industry – Food and Nutrition grant is administered jointly by the Israel Innovation Authority and the BARD Foundation (the United States–Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund). It is a grant instrument sitting under the BARD Fund R&D Collaboration on Food and Nutrition program, which connects Israeli industry to ongoing U.S. academic research that has already received National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) approval. The two organizations run this call together to fund Israeli industrial corporations attaching to existing U.S.-based research projects in food and agricultural systems.

The total budget for the Applied Research in Industry track is NIS 5.6 million for the 2026 call. Individual per-project award amounts are not stated in the call announcement; amounts are governed by the Israel Innovation Authority Incentive Program instructions, which the call references but does not reproduce. No per-applicant minimum or maximum is published on the call page.

Eligibility is limited to Israeli industrial corporations as defined in the Incentive Program. The application must be submitted through the Israel Innovation Authority platform, in collaboration with an Israeli Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and a U.S. research institution. The U.S. partner must already hold an active NIFA-approved research project in one of the eligible topic areas. Individual applicants and non-Israeli entities cannot apply directly.

Applications must be submitted to the Israel Innovation Authority by 9 September 2026 at 12:00 noon Israel time. The call was announced by both the Israel Innovation Authority and the BARD Foundation and is described as opening two separate procedures — this grant covers only the industry track. Eligible topics span agricultural robotics, computational models for agricultural decision-making, alternative proteins, smart and biodegradable food packaging, food quality monitoring, personalized nutrition, and related areas.

Key practical notes: the U.S. collaborator must already have a NIFA-approved project — applicants cannot simply choose any U.S. university; they must attach to an existing funded study from the BARD Foundation's NIFA project list. Royalty rates, IP ownership terms, and project duration are governed by the Incentive Program instructions, which are not reproduced in the call announcement and should be reviewed separately before applying.