IIA International R&D Collaborations

International R&D and Pilot Collaborations

Funds Israeli firms with global industry and research partners to launch international pilots for market-ready innovation.

The Israel Innovation Authority's International R&D and Pilot Collaborations program funds Israeli companies engaged in bilateral joint R&D projects with foreign partners under four active bilateral frameworks: BIRD Foundation (United States), SIIRD (Singapore), I4F (India), and KORIL (Korea). Each bilateral program has its own call cycle, submission deadlines, and co-administering foreign agency — NSF and USDA for U.S. projects, EDB for Singapore, DST for India, and KIAT for Korea. The IIA funds the Israeli partner at 20 to 50 percent of its approved R&D budget over project durations of up to 24 months. Award sizes for the Israeli side typically range from ILS 500,000 to ILS 10M, with a typical median around ILS 2M. The combined estimated pool across all four bilateral programs is approximately ILS 150M.

Eligibility is restricted to Israeli for-profit corporations registered and operating in Israel; nonprofits, universities, research organizations, and individuals are excluded. The TRL range is 3 to 7. A confirmed foreign partner from one of the four eligible countries is required at the time of application — the foreign partner applies simultaneously to their own national funding agency, and both applications are evaluated jointly. Standard IIA royalty-back repayment terms apply to the Israeli partner on any commercialized outputs. One notable exception: Singapore companies applying under SIIRD are not subject to royalty repayment under any grant category.

Applicants should match their application to the specific bilateral program whose foreign-partner country fits their collaboration, since each has its own technical focus areas and scoring criteria. Projects are strongest when the Israeli and foreign partner bring genuinely complementary capabilities, the joint product has a clear international market path, and the work cannot be done by either party alone. Timelines are tight — Israeli partners should coordinate with their foreign counterpart early to align submission dates.