The US-Israel Binational Agricultural R&D Fund (BARD) brokered the three-year $500,000 a year agreement.
Israel and Texas signed an agricultural R&D cooperation agreement last week. The US-Israel Binational Agricultural R&D Fund (BARD) brokered the three-year $500,000 a year agreement. Each project must have a representative from both Israel and Texas.
Israel and Texas will each contribute $250,000 a year to finance the agreement. It is believed the annual budget will finance 2-3 agricultural research projects a year. A scientific committee, composed of representatives from both states, will select suitable projects. Large parts of Texas are arid, and many projects will probably be devoted to irrigation.
Israel’s economic mission to Washington plans to sign similar agreements with other states in the US. Texas was chosen as the first state, since Israel and Texas already have an agriculture cooperation agreement. The agreement is intended to anchor agricultural R&D cooperation in a separate agreement with its own budget.
BARD has an $8 million annual budget to finance agricultural research by joint Israeli-US teams. The format is similar to the Israeli-Texas agreement. BARD is based in Beit Dagan in Israel, with a liaison office in the US.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on December 22, 2002