Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) is an Israel-U.S foundation established by the governments of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1977. Partners include General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

, Gilat

Gilat

Gilat is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the western Negev desert between Beersheba and Ofakim, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 965.The moshav was founded in 1949 by immigrants from Tunisia...

, and Guidant

Guidant

Guidant Corporation, part of Boston Scientific and Abbott Labs, designs and manufactures artificial pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, stents, and other cardiovascular medical products. Their company headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their main competitors are Medtronic, St...

.

History

The BIRD Foundation was established to fund collaborative research projects, focusing on software, communications, microelectronics, and life sciences. Supported projects involve collaboration projects between American and Israeli companies, with BIRD funding up to half the development and commercialization costs.

External links

• Bird Foundation website