Israel-US BIRD-BLUE (Blue Economy)

Israel-US BIRD-BLUE (Blue Economy) is the BIRD Foundation's maritime and oceans-focused program for joint U.S.-Israel industrial R&D. It sits inside BIRD's broader bilateral collaboration model and is meant for companies that can build a jointly developed product or technology with clear commercial value on both sides of the Atlantic. The program provides a royalty-backed conditional grant of $250,000 to $1 million, with a median actual award of $500,000. It runs annually, requires a U.S. and an Israeli company as the core pair, excludes nonprofits and individuals, and expects 50 percent match funding. The eligibility window is TRL 3 to 7, which leaves room for projects that still need development as well as those moving into pilot readiness. The best fit is a blue-economy project with a shared engineering problem and a realistic market path, especially in maritime systems, ocean technology, or related waterside infrastructure. BIRD funds up to half of the R&D cost and repays only on commercial success, so applicants need to show both technical substance and a commercial plan that justifies the cross-border structure.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.