To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a bilateral research and innovation program to facilitate and coordinate efforts between the United States and Israel in certain health-related areas, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Weber of Texas (for himself, Mr. Pappas, and Ms. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates the BIRD Health Program, a partnership between the United States and Israel to develop new healthcare technologies. Building on the successful 46-year-old BIRD Foundation (which has already produced over $10 billion in commercial sales), this program specifically targets medical devices, pharmaceuticals, digital health tools, AI diagnostics, and vaccines.
Who Benefits and How
- US and Israeli biotechnology companies receive funding for joint R&D projects and access to markets in both countries
- Medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers gain support for commercializing innovations and establishing joint manufacturing facilities
- Digital health and AI healthcare startups get accelerated paths to market through joint venture opportunities and innovation hubs
- Academic research institutions receive funding for collaborative research in genomics, personalized medicine, and epidemiology
- Israel's healthcare sector benefits from $70 million in US funding over 7 years and enhanced access to US healthcare markets
Who Bears the Burden and How
- US taxpayers fund up to $10 million per year from 2026-2032 ($70 million total authorization)
- Department of Health and Human Services must administer the program, submit annual reports to Congress, and conduct triennial reviews
- Department of Commerce shares coordination and oversight responsibilities
Key Provisions
- Authorizes $10 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2032
- Program administered through the existing BIRD Foundation infrastructure
- Joint governance by HHS and Israel's Ministry of Health for project selection
- Focus areas include: medical devices, biologics, genomics, telemedicine, AI for healthcare, vaccine development, and epidemiological research
- Includes provisions for biological product manufacturing and supply chain resilience
- Requires annual Congressional reporting on progress and economic benefits
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes the BIRD Health Program, a bilateral research and innovation program between the United States and Israel to expand collaboration on healthcare technology development, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biologics, telemedicine, AI for healthcare, and vaccine development.
Policy Domains
Full Bill - BIRD Health Program
Likely Beneficiaries
- US and Israeli healthcare technology companies
- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies
- Medical device manufacturers
- Digital health and telemedicine companies
- AI healthcare startups
- Academic research institutions
Likely Burden Bearers
- US Taxpayers (\M/year authorization FY2026-2032)
- Department of Health and Human Services (administration/reporting)
- Department of Commerce (coordination)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_executive_director"
- → Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation
- "the_secretary_commerce"
- → Secretary of Commerce
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, established in 1977 as a joint US-Israel initiative for bilateral R&D collaboration.
Includes medical device, pharmaceutical, digital health solution, diagnostic driven by artificial intelligence, and biologic.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology