BARD Food Security Technology Accelerator
BARD is seeking collaborative research and development projects that aim to generate innovative solutions to critical challenges in global food security. This pilot program is designed to accelerate the development and implementation of advanced, sustainable, and scalable technologies and practices.
Funding Opportunity:
- Conditional Grant Amount: Up to $1,000,000 per project.
- Duration: 24 months of R&D work, followed by a 12-month implementation phase.
- The grant must be repaid at a rate of 3% or 5% only if the project achieves successful commercialization, with repayment required for up to 10 years from the date of commercialization.
Grant Conditions and Co-Funding Requirement:
- Eligibility: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium that include Industry partners (companies/firms) and Academia or research institute from BOTH the U.S. and Israel.
BARD can provide professional support in securing both Industry and academia partners.
- Industry Co-Funding Obligation: Industry partners (companies/firms) in the consortium are required to provide co-funding for the project, ranging from 10% to 30% of the total grant amount.
- Co-Funding Rate Determination: The specific co-funding rate (between 10% and 30%) will be determined based on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the proposed technology at the start of the project. Projects with higher TRL will require a higher percentage of co-funding.
Program Structure:
- 24 months of R&D collaborative work.
- 12-Month Implementation Phase: After completing the 24-month R&D period, each funded project enters a required 12-month implementation phase. This phase will concentrate on putting the developed solution into practice, validating its effectiveness, and/or expanding its reach, with the goal of achieving measurable progress toward commercialization and strengthening food security.
Research Themes for this Pilot are:
- Climate Resilience – Developing and adopting new crop varieties, vertical farming, and greenhouse technologies to ensure production under harsh environmental conditions (including crop genetics, water management aspects and AI and precision agriculture).
- Crop and Animal Health - Advancement of novel technologies and management strategies to detect, prevent, and mitigate diseases and pests in plants and animals (including disease prevention and detection and AI and precision agriculture).
- AI-powered precision farming and digital agriculture Leveraging artificial intelligence, sensors, and data analytics to optimize inputs, monitor crops, and improve farm decision-making for enhanced yields and sustainability
Submission Process – Pre-Proposal Stage:
This is a two-tier submission program. Only applicants who have passed the pre-proposal stage will be eligible to submit a full proposal. In order to ensure an easier and efficient process, we require an initial submission of a Pre-Proposal and a Letter of Intent (LOI).
- The Pre-Proposal should briefly outline the project’s objectives, methodology, and expected impact.
- The Letter of Intent (LOI) must formally confirm the commitment of all consortium partners (Israeli companies and US/Israeli researchers).
Only consortium invited by BARD following the review of the Pre-Proposal will be eligible to submit a Full Proposal.
For full details, including detailed eligibility criteria, program priorities, the Pre-Proposal format, click here: https://www.bard-isus.org/bard-food-security-technology-accelerator/
