BIRD Foundation — Michigan Channel (via MIBA)

BIRD Foundation — Michigan Channel (via MIBA)

Provides Michigan-based access and matchmaking to United States–Israel joint projects applying for BIRD conditional grants.

Eligibility · United States, Israel

The Michigan-Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA) serves as the officially appointed Michigan representative for the BIRD Foundation (Binational Industrial R&D Foundation), a US-Israel bilateral grant program that awards up to $1.5 million in conditional grants covering up to 50% of eligible joint project costs. MIBA's role in this channel is intake, partner matchmaking, application guidance, and co-hosting of educational webinars with BIRD leadership — all provided at no cost to applicants. The actual grant is awarded by the BIRD Foundation directly, not by MIBA; MIBA functions as Michigan's access point and facilitation layer.

BIRD Foundation grants are non-dilutive: there is no equity stake and no IP concession required. Repayments are in the form of royalties on commercial success only, making the instrument a conditional grant rather than a loan. Qualifying projects must involve a joint R&D collaboration between a US company (with Michigan connection supported by MIBA) and an Israeli company. BIRD operates multiple program variants including the General Program (all hi-tech sectors, with a May 2026 deadline cycle), BIRD Energy (deadline July 2026), BIRD Energy Center (June 2026), BIRD Cyber (cybersecurity and critical infrastructure), and BIRD HLS (homeland security). MIBA actively promotes applications in mobility, health tech, advanced manufacturing, and energy across these variants.

The application process runs in defined cycles and involves an executive summary submission followed by a full proposal upon BIRD's recommendation, expert review, and execution of a Cooperation and Project Funding Agreement. Michigan companies or Israeli companies with a Michigan co-development partner should approach MIBA first to identify the right BIRD program variant, secure a co-development partner if one is not yet identified, and receive guided support through the application stages. MIBA also co-hosts BIRD educational webinars to orient first-time applicants on program requirements and timelines.