BIRD HLS (Homeland Security)

BIRD HLS (Homeland Security)

Funds BIRD HLS joint projects for homeland security and critical infrastructure applications through bilateral cooperation.

Eligibility · United States, Israel

BIRD HLS (Homeland Security) is a joint grant program operated under a bilateral agreement between the United States and the State of Israel on cooperation in science and technology for homeland security matters. It is co-funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Israel Ministry of National Security (IMNS), with the BIRD Foundation managing the program. The program's objective is to foster and support the joint development of advanced technologies addressing homeland security challenges of mutual relevance to both nations. Conditional grants reach up to $1 million per project — a lower ceiling than the $1.5 million available under BIRD Cyber or the BIRD General Program — and cover no more than 50% of the total joint R&D budget. Repayment is royalty-based upon commercialization.

Eligibility mirrors the broader BIRD model: a binational team is required, consisting of either two companies or one company paired with a university or research institute, with one participant from the U.S. and one from Israel. Focus areas include unmanned aerial systems for first responders, border and maritime security incorporating biometrics and robotics, protection of critical infrastructure and soft targets, safe and secure cities, and advanced first-responder technologies such as digital forensics, command and control, video analytics, wearable sensors, standoff detection, and PPE. As of May 2026, the 2026 cycle call dates had not yet been announced.

Successful applicants should address topic areas and operational needs jointly prioritized by DHS and IMNS. Teams able to demonstrate field-deployable prototypes or near-term pilot capability, combined with a dual-national commercialization strategy, are well positioned for the program's evaluation criteria.