SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Binational Industrial Research and De-
velopment Foundation (in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘BIRD Foundation’’) was established in 1977 as a 
joint initiative between the United States and Israel 
and has become a model for successful bilateral re-
search and development collaboration. 
(2) Since its inception, the BIRD Foundation 
has approved over 1,000 projects with a total invest-
ment exceeding $500 million, generating over $10 
billion in sales. 
(3) In the past decade, approximately 30 per-
cent of the projects approved by the BIRD Founda-
tion have been related to health, biotechnology, life 
sciences, medical devices, diagnostics, and telemedi-
cine. 
(4) The United States and Israel have success-
fully expanded the activities of the Bird Foundation 
into dedicated programs targeting specific industrial 
needs, including energy, cyber, and homeland secu-
rity. 
(5) The United States and Israel signed a 
health, medical, and scientific cooperation agreement 
on January 4, 2016, which is designed to foster col-
laboration in various health-related areas. 
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(6) In 2020, Congress allocated $2 million to 
establish a bilateral collaboration program with the 
Israel for the development of health-related tech-
nologies. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF BIRD HEALTH PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall enter into a cooperative agree-
ment to establish a bilateral research and innovation 
program (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘BIRD 
Health Program’’) to facilitate and coordinate ef-
forts between the United States and Israel to expand 
and enhance collaboration on— 
(A) the development of healthcare products 
and services; and 
(B) the delivery of such products and serv-
ices to individuals in need. 
(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall carry out this subsection 
in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and 
the Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation. 
(3) APPLICABILITY
OF
REQUIREMENTS.—The 
authority provided by this subsection shall be subject 
to any applicable requirements of law and any appli-
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cable agreements or understandings between the 
United States and Israel. 
(b) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION, GOALS, AND COM-
PONENTS.—The cooperation agreement referred to in sub-
section (a) shall provide for the following: 
(1) IMPLEMENTATION
PARTNER.—The BIRD 
Health Program shall be administered by the BIRD 
Foundation, following the same model used for 
United States-Israel collaborations in energy, cyber, 
and homeland security. 
(2) GOVERNANCE.—The program shall be joint-
ly governed by representatives from the Department 
of Health and Human Services and the Ministry of 
Health of Israel, who shall actively participate in de-
fining focus areas and selecting projects to receive 
funding. 
(3) PROGRAM GOALS.—The goals of the BIRD 
Health Program shall be— 
(A) to facilitate joint research and develop-
ment projects between United States and Israeli 
institutions, companies, and academic organiza-
tions in the field of health technologies; 
(B) to support the commercialization and 
deployment of innovative healthcare products 
and services, including— 
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(i) medical devices and diagnostics; 
(ii) pharmaceuticals and biological 
products; 
(iii) genomics and personalized medi-
cine; 
(iv) telemedicine and digital health 
technologies; 
(v) artificial intelligence for healthcare 
applications; 
(vi) infectious disease prevention; 
(vii) vaccine development; and 
(viii) epidemiological research; and 
(C) to strengthen health-related ecosystems 
by fostering United States-Israel partnerships 
in healthcare technology development. 
(4) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The BIRD Health Pro-
gram shall provide funding for the following: 
(i) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 
Programs and activities for research and 
development, including— 
(I) joint research projects be-
tween United States and Israeli insti-
tutions and companies; 
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(II) promoting collaboration in 
areas such as medical device tech-
nology, pharmaceuticals (including bi-
ological products, genomics, and inno-
vative digital health care solutions) 
and health care systems management 
(including a special focus on early- 
stage clinical trials); 
(III) with respect to biological 
products, supporting— 
(aa) innovation; 
(bb) process optimization; 
and 
(cc) the development of ad-
vanced manufacturing techniques 
that can enhance productivity, re-
duce costs, and improve product 
quality; and 
(IV) work toward developing a 
framework for sharing health data for 
research purposes with the Ministry of 
Health of Israel. 
(ii) INNOVATION AND STARTUP ECO-
SYSTEM.—Programs 
and 
activities 
for 
health-related ecosystems, including— 
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(I) fostering collaboration be-
tween United States and Israeli start-
up companies and other companies in 
the healthcare sector; 
(II) facilitating innovative tech-
nology acceptance by the marketplace; 
(III) facilitating mechanisms for 
technology transfer and joint venture 
opportunities; and 
(IV) supporting innovation hubs 
to accelerate the development and 
commercialization of United States 
healthcare technologies in the Israeli 
market, including encouraging cyber-
security standards for sharing data, 
promoting patient privacy, and en-
couraging research. 
(iii) 
HEALTH
CARE
SYSTEM 
STRENGTHENING.—Programs and activi-
ties for health care system strengthening, 
including facilitating sharing best prac-
tices, knowledge, and skills in areas such 
as clinical care and health care manage-
ment. 
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(ii) establishing joint manufacturing 
facilities for biological products in facilities 
in the United States that leverage the 
strengths and expertise of both countries; 
(iii) pursuing accelerated development 
of life-saving treatments and new sources 
of nutrition that are both healthier and 
more available at an affordable cost; and 
(iv) supply chain resilience through 
strategic collaboration to identify and de-
velop contingency plans to mitigate biologi-
cal product supply disruptions. 
(5) PROJECT
SELECTION
CRITERIA.—Projects 
selected for funding under the BIRD Health pro-
gram shall be evaluated based on— 
(A) technical merit and innovation; 
(B) commercial potential and economic im-
pact; 
(C) relevance to health priorities identified 
by both governments; 
(D) strength of the United States-Israel 
partnership; and 
(E) potential to address unmet medical 
needs. 
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SEC. 4. FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION. 
(a) FUNDING.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services to carry out 
this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
through 2032. 
(2) ADMINISTRATION
OF
FUNDS.—Subject to 
the terms and conditions of the cooperative agree-
ment referred to in section 3(a)(1), funds made 
available under this section shall be administered 
through the BIRD Foundation, with oversight from 
Secretary of Health and Human Services and the 
Secretary of Commerce. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE.— 
(1) PROGRAM
FRAMEWORK.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall sub-
mit to Congress a report on the progress made in 
establishing the program framework. 
(2) PROPOSALS.—Not later than one year after 
the date of establishment of the program framework, 
the BIRD Health Program shall begin accepting 
proposals and allocating funds for eligible projects. 
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SEC. 5. REPORTING AND EVALUATION. 
(a) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
one year after the date of enactment of this Act, and an-
nually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall submit to Congress an annual report detail-
ing the establishment and implementation of the BIRD 
Health Program, including— 
(1) the progress of funded projects and their 
impact on healthcare innovation; 
(2) the economic and scientific benefits result-
ing from United States-Israel collaborations; and 
(3) any policy recommendations to enhance the 
effectiveness of the BIRD Health Program. 
(b) PROGRAM REVIEW.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall conduct, and submit to Con-
gress, a comprehensive review of the success of the BIRD 
Health Program every three years, with recommendations 
for renewal or expansion. 
SEC. 6. HEALTH TECHNOLOGY DEFINED. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘health technology’’ includes a 
medical device, pharmaceutical, digital health solution, di-
agnostic driven by artificial intelligence, and biologic. 
Æ 
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