The BIRD Foundation, a joint initiative of the US and Israel, has announced a $3.85 million investment in four cybersecurity projects that aim to protect critical infrastructure in both countries. The projects were selected by the BIRD Cyber Program, which was established in 2020 by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD), and the BIRD Foundation.
Enhancing cyber resilience and innovation
The BIRD Cyber Program seeks to foster collaboration between US and Israeli companies, universities, and research institutions to develop innovative technologies that can enhance the cybersecurity posture of crucial infrastructure sectors, such as energy, water, transportation, and health. The program provides grants of up to $1.5 million per project and up to 50% of the research and development budgets required.
The four projects that received funding are:
- A solution for securing core operational processes in industrial control systems, developed by CyberX (Israel) and Honeywell (US).
- A real-time risk assessment solution for small-to-medium sized airports or seaports, developed by Cyberpion (Israel) and Booz Allen Hamilton (US).
- A pilot program for resilience centers for small and medium businesses and enterprises, developed by CyberHat (Israel) and Cyber Florida (US).
- An advanced data fusion and analytics platform for cyber threat intelligence, developed by Sixgill (Israel) and Anomali (US).
Strengthening the US-Israel partnership
The BIRD Foundation was established in 1977 by the governments of the US and Israel to support industrial research and development cooperation between American and Israeli companies. Since its inception, the foundation has funded over 1,000 projects in various fields, such as biotechnology, energy, homeland security, and more.
The BIRD Cyber Program is a testament to the strong partnership between the US and Israel in the field of cybersecurity, which is vital for both nations’ national security and economic prosperity. The program also reflects the growing importance of fortifying cyber resilience in the face of evolving cyber threats that target critical infrastructure.
Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, the executive director of the BIRD Foundation, said: “We are pleased that the US Department of Homeland Security and the Israel National Cyber Directorate have selected the BIRD Foundation to lead the joint US-Israel cyber technologies program – and are proud that we can contribute to enhancing cyber resilience in both countries.”
