NIFA-BARD-IIA Food and Nutrition Program

NIFA-BARD-IIA Food and Nutrition Program

Funds US and Israeli research teams working with an Israeli company on food and nutrition technologies through the NIFA-BARD-IIA binational grant.

Eligibility · United States and Israel (binational consortium)

The NIFA-BARD-IIA Food and Nutrition Program is a joint grant administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD), and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA). It sits within NIFA's global engagement portfolio under the 2013 NIFA-BARD memorandum of understanding, which has governed U.S.-Israel agricultural research collaboration since 1977. The program grants funding for joint research conducted by a consortium of Israeli and American scientists working at authorized research centers alongside an Israeli company that aims to develop innovative food and nutrition technologies. Each side funds its own researchers: U.S. researchers apply through NIFA and must already hold or concurrently apply for a NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant; Israeli researchers and companies apply through BARD and IIA. Award amounts on the Israeli side are constrained to the lesser of the maximum allowed under IIA guidelines or the award of the U.S. partner's NIFA grant. The research duration is up to three years per award.

On the Israeli side, two tracks are available. The industry track (Applied Research in Industry) targets Israeli industrial corporations, with a total program budget of NIS 5.6 million. The academia track (Applied Research in Academia) targets Israeli Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) accompanied by a supporting corporation, with a total program budget of NIS 10 million. No per-applicant award ceiling is published; the maximum varies by IIA track. On the U.S. side, the NIFA grant award establishes the ceiling for the Israeli institutional budget.

U.S. applicants must be researchers at eligible U.S. institutions already funded or concurrently applying under a NIFA AFRI program. Israeli applicants are industrial corporations (for the industry track) or Technology Transfer Offices with a supporting company (for the academia track). Sub-program C (formerly Nofar) requires a letter of intent from an Israeli company indicating willingness to contribute 10% to the project. The Israeli research group must be accompanied by an Israeli company and is subject to IIA guidelines.

The application is a two-step process. Step one is a pre-proposal, due July 1, 2026, submitted by email. Only investigators approved after the first stage may submit a full proposal. The full proposal deadline is September 9, 2026. NIFA lists a slightly different set of internal deadlines (pre-proposal June 21, full proposal August 13) for the NIFA-side submission. IP, if generated, must be owned by the investigators' institution(s), not the company.

Applicants should note that award amounts vary by IIA track and are not published in advance. There is no stated per-applicant cap in USD. The Israeli company's involvement is a structural requirement, not optional. U.S. applicants must hold an active or concurrent NIFA AFRI grant — the program does not fund U.S. research independently.