DOE, Israel's Ministry of Energy, and Israel Innovation Authority Announce the U.S.-Israel Energy Center Winner for the Energy Cyber Sector

$6M awarded to a consortium including universities and companies from both countries increasing the Energy Center managed by the BIRD Foundation total investment to up to $67.2M

News provided by

The BIRD Foundation

Apr 12, 2021, 07:00 ET

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Israel's Ministry of Energy and the Israel Innovation Authority announced the winner to receive up to $6 million under the U.S.-Israel Energy Center competitive funding opportunity in the area of cyber security for energy infrastructure. The total value of the investment with cost-shared arrangements could reach up to $12M for a period of three years.

This award follows the selection on March 2020 of three consortia, comprised of U.S. and Israeli organizations for the topics of fossil energy, energy storage, and energy-water nexus sectors. The three selected programs were launched in August-September 2020.

The total value of these four programs with cost-shared arrangements could reach $67.2 million.

The U.S.-Israel Energy Center (full name: The U.S.-Israel Center of Excellence in Energy, Engineering and Water Technology) was initially authorized by the U.S. Congress in the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 and funded by the Israel Government in 2016. The total expected government funding for the Energy Center is $40M, for 5 years. The goal of the Energy Center is to promote energy security and economic development through R&D of innovative energy technologies, while facilitating cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli companies, research institutes and universities. The Energy Center is managed by the BIRD Foundation.

Dr. Andrew Light, Assistant Secretary for International Affairs (Acting) at the U.S. Department of Energy, said: "Cybersecurity for energy infrastructure is key to the success of our efforts to deploy new innovative technologies to combat the climate crisis, promote energy justice, and create new clean energy jobs. It is vital that what we do ensures the security and reliability of critical energy infrastructure, as well as protecting DOE's assets. I am pleased that this international consortium between the U.S. and our friends in Israel will develop new tools to address the cybersecurity threats we will face as we invest in our people, our supply chains, and our capacity to meet our clean energy goals."

Mr. Udi Adiri, Director General at the Israel Ministry of Energy, said: "The continuing collaboration in the energy sector between the US and Israel raised considerable interest, and has the potential to bring about significant technological progress. The Ministry of Energy is strongly involved in protecting the water and energy sector from cyber-attacks, and believes that R&D investment is just as important. The chosen project is one of 6 excellent candidates with tens of potential partners, who wanted to participate in this joint endeavor. It is of high technical excellence, and has strong commercial potential. I wish us all for its success."

Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chairman, Israel Innovation Authority and Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, said: "In an age where technological innovations are multiplying exponentially, the risks of cyber-attacks also increase significantly, especially in critical facilities such as energy infrastructure. We are pleased to see the high level of engagement in both countries, and we wish much success to the winning consortium of academia and companies as we look forward to the amazing changes they will bring about for the security of the energy sector and the population worldwide."

The selected consortium, led by Arizona State University (U.S. Leader) and Ben-Gurion University (Israeli Leader), will perform research and development entitled: "Comprehensive Cybersecurity Technology for Critical Power Infrastructure AI Based Centralized Defense and Edge Resilience." The consortium includes the following partners:

U.S. Partners: Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Nexant, DelekUS Holdings, Duquesne Light Company, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, The MITRE Corporation, Arizona Public Service.
Israeli Partners: OTORIO, Rad Data Communication, SIGA OT Solutions, Arava Power.

For more information about the U.S.-Israel Energy Center, please click HERE.

Energy Center Contacts:
Israel: Ms. Tal Fischelovitch, [email protected]
U.S.: Ms. Shiri Freund Koren, [email protected]

+972-3-6988301

SOURCE The BIRD Foundation