Program Description

The Israel Innovation Authority and the BARD Foundation (the United States–Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund) announce the opening of two separate procedures (as detailed below) for submitting applications for grants to conduct applied research programs in academia and in industry, in collaboration with U.S. researchers and an Israeli supporting corporation, in the fields of food and nutrition.

Under this call, applications may be submitted in one of the following two procedures: 

1. A Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or an industrial corporation under the Applied Research in Industry Program of the Israel Innovation Authority, part of the Applied Research Fund in Academia and Industry
2. A Technology Transfer Office (TTO) under the Applied Research in Academia Program, part of the Applied Research Fund. 

• It is important to emphasize that each of the above alternatives constitutes a separate and independent procedure:
  • Applications submitted under the Applied Research in Industry Program will be examined and evaluated only in comparison with other applications submitted to this program.
  • Applications submitted under the Applied Research in Academia Program will be examined and evaluated only in comparison with other applications submitted to this program..
• Applied Research in Industry: 
  • Support will be provided for R&D programs in food and nutrition submitted by Israeli industrial corporations, in collaboration with Israeli TTOs and U.S. research institutions.
  • These programs must include repetition and validation of research results (TRL 4) achieved by the U.S. institutions, and adaptation of the knowledge to the needs of the Israeli corporation.

• Applied Research in Academia: 
  • Support will be provided for R&D programs in food and nutrition submitted by Israeli TTOs, accompanied by a supporting corporation, aiming to direct academic knowledge toward industrial application in Israel.
  • These programs must include a U.S. research partner and demonstrate TRL 5 readiness, to be executed within the supporting corporation.

The Objectives of the Call for Proposals:

1. Promoting joint R&D between Israel and the U.S. in food and nutrition, to improve public health and prevent chronic diseases that burden both countries. 
2. Strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food and nutrition sectors by providing access to academic knowledge from both countries. 

 

Eligible Research Topics 

For the purposes of this call, applications may be submitted in the following fields (for each of the procedures described above): 

Food and Nutrition 

Food and nutrition improvement:

• Improving food quality and nutritional values; improving food safety; improving food composition via genetic means; market education for certain dietary habits; development of personalized food/nutrition for specific population groups (e.g., based on sensitivities, illnesses and age); characterization of links between nutrition and chronic diseases; development of innovative and nutritious raw materials for the food industry (e.g., proteins and sugar substitutes); improving nutritional supplements; or developing sources of new natural functional ingredients for food (e.g., thickeners, stabilizers and colorants). 

Increasing the diversity of food sources and the availability of food for use:

• Innovative cultivation methods; increasing biodiversity of food sources; producing and cultivating healthy food in an era of resource constraints (e.g., agricultural inputs, energy and water); or reducing post‑harvest food loss of agricultural produce. 

Healthy consumption:

• Personalized food/nutrition (e.g., microbiome, genetics, sensitivities/intolerances); development of systems for monitoring food quality and safety (e.g., technologies for preserving quality in the value chain post‑production; allergen detection technologies); changing consumption habits or making healthy food more appealing. 
• Production processes for artificial/alternative protein for animal feed. 

Agricultural Systems 

• Agricultural machinery, robotics and automation systems. 
• Smart, safe and biodegradable food packaging.
• Computational models to support decision‑making in agricultural systems (e.g., digital twins). 

List of active projects funded by NIFA that are available for potential collaborations under this call, as well as the submission deadlines to the BARD Foundation

 

Target Audience 

• Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), as defined in the Incentive Program. 
• Industrial corporations, as defined in the Incentive Program. 

 

Finance 

• The total budget allocated for all applications approved underthe Applied Researchin Industry is NIS 5.6 million. 
• The total budget allocated for all applications approved under the Applied Research in Academia is NIS 10 million. 
• If demand under one of the above procedures is lower than the allocated budget, and subject to the evaluation of applications under that procedure in accordance with the evaluation criteria, the Israel Innovation Authority may, at its sole discretion, reallocate part of the allocated budget to the other procedure.

 

Criteria

Eligibility Conditions 

As specified in the relevant Incentive Program’s instructions. 

In addition, as part of submitting an application to the Israel Innovation Authority, applicants will be required to present approval regarding collaboration with a U.S. research institution, as detailed above. 

Application Evaluation Criteria 

As specified in the relevant Incentive Program’s instructions. 

Important Notes

All aspects of this call – including submission, evaluation, approval or rejection of proposals, grant terms, rights and obligations (e.g., IP, reporting, royalties) – will be governed by the Innovation Law, the incentive program, the relevant sub-programs, and their associated procedures, as updated from time to time. 

 

Application Process

1. Applications may be submitted to the Israel Innovation Authority until 09 September 2026 at 12:00 (noon), Israel time. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted. 
2. Applicants must carefully read the Incentive Program and sub‑program instructions and the relevant procedures and ensure compliance with the threshold conditions as detailed in their full wording. 
3. Applicants must follow the instructions detailed in the Incentive Program, the applicable sub‑programs, the relevant procedures and this call. 
4. Applications must be submitted via the Personal Area on the Israel Innovation Authority website, using the designated application form for the relevant sub‑program. 
5. Applicants should monitor this call’s webpage for updates regarding both procedures, if any. 
6. Nothing in this call constitutes a commitment to approve any application submitted under either procedure. 

This call does not constitute a commitment to approve any submitted proposal.

Application Content

The application and its appendices shall include responses, among other things, to the aspects listed below. It is clarified that this is not a closed list and the following constitutes only part of the required information in the application form. Applicants may and are encouraged to expand and address additional issues not included in this list. 

Applicants under Applied Research in Academia and under Applied Research in Industry must specify the program topic and its alignment with the call requirements, including attaching the approval granted by NIFA for adding the Israeli applicant as a collaborating partner within the U.S. institution’s funded program. For assistance in obtaining and submitting NIFA approvals, applicants should contact the BARD Foundation representative, whose details appear above. 

Applicants must detail, within the executive summary and research description sections of the application forms, the joint activities and the level of synergy between the Israeli and U.S. research groups for the joint development of the technology or its transfer to the corporation in the fields covered by this call.