U.S.-Israel Cooperation Published New Call for Proposals to Foster Advanced Technologies for First Responders

TEL AVIV, Israel, January 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation announced a new Call for Proposals for 'NextGen First Responder Technologies' to promote and fund U.S.-Israel joint development in advanced technologies for First Responders. Projects can receive a conditional grant of up to 50% of their joint R&D budget, maximum $1M per project.

The program was established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Israeli Ministry of Public Security (MOPS). Projects selected should focus on technologies relating to First Responders (Law Enforcement, Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services) and demonstrate significant commercial potential. Projects are defined as two companies or a company and a university/research institution (one from the U.S. and one from Israel) that are engaged in R&D cooperation and commercialization. Projects should demonstrate innovation in areas such as: Command, Control and Coordination, Communications, Data Analysis, Explosive & Hazards Detection, Protective Clothing, Sensors, Simulation & Training, Situational Awareness, Wearable Technologies and others.

"We're extremely proud to partner with Israel to ensure that our valued first responder community has the best tools to perform their duties efficiently and safely," said Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Dr. Robert Griffin, a former first responder. "This is the second time we have partnered with Israel in this manner, with last year's partnership yielding interest from dozens of companies and 12 proposals for development. I am pleased to renew this partnership and our commitment to its mission."

"The BIRD Foundation is happy to accelerate cooperation between the U.S. and Israel in the area of advanced technologies for First Responders. This binational cooperation creates synergetic capabilities to handle emergency situations while using innovative technologies to save lives. The program extends and enhances the successful collaboration that already exists between the U.S. and Israel in science and technology in the Homeland Security sector," said Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, BIRD's Executive Director. 

Submission details and a full list of capability gaps are available on the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation website. The deadline for executive summaries is February 15, 2017 and final proposals are due by April 5, 2017. Decisions will take place in June 2017.

Further information on the program can be found at http://www.birdf.com

Contact:
Andrea Yonah
[email protected]
Tel: +1-609-356-0305

SOURCE The BIRD Foundation