Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Energy (MOE) and the Israel Innovation Authority, announced a new funding opportunity for 2018 through Binational Industrial Research & Development (BIRD) Energy, a program for joint U.S.-Israel industrial research and development (R&D) in renewable and energy efficiency technologies.

Created as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and designed as the energy arm of the 40-year-old BIRD Foundation, BIRD Energy has stimulated, promoted, and supported joint industrial R&D that benefits both the United States and Israel. It focuses on commercializing sustainable energy technologies that improve economic competitiveness, create jobs, and increase energy security.

Since its inception in 2009, BIRD Energy has approved 42 projects with a total investment of about $30 million, attracting more than $200 million in venture capital and other follow-on funding to commercialize clean energy technologies. Over the last seven years, four BIRD Energy projects reached the commercialization stage, including a self-powered wireless sensor for monitoring energy use in buildings, a new enzyme for the production of biodiesel, a utility-scale solar concentrated photovoltaic system employing a new active cooling module, and a new system to facilitate wind speed and power output forecasting for wind generation.

BIRD Energy provides a maximum conditional grant of $1 million. Projects that qualify for BIRD Energy funding must include the following:

• R&D cooperation between two companies or cooperation between a company and a university/research institution (one from the United States and one from Israel)
• Innovation in any areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency, such as solar and wind power, advanced vehicle technologies and alternative fuels, smart grid, storage, water-energy nexus, advanced manufacturing, etc.
• Significant commercial potential; the project outcome should lead to commercialization.

Please refer to the BIRD Energy Call for Proposal website for details. Deadlines for submission include:

• Executive Summary – July 9, 2018
• Final Proposal – August 21, 2018

Decisions will be made in late October 2018.

For further inquiries, please contact the following:

• In the United States:
  • East Coast/Midwest: Ms. Andrea Yonah, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel: 609-356-0305
  • West Coast: Ms. Maya Vardi Shoshani, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel: 650-752-6485
• In Israel:
  • Ms. Limor Nakar-Vincent, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel: 972-3-698-8300