The U.S Department of Energy and Israel’s Ministry of Energy, together with the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) has chosen eight projects that will receive $7.15 million under the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. The total value of the project comes to $17.4 million, including $10.25 million in cost-share from the companies selected. Since it was established in 2009 as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, BIRD Energy has funded 55 projects with $42 million coming from the government and $55 million in funds matched by the private sector. Each project is conducted by two partners - one from Israel and one from the U.S - and focuses on clean energy initiatives to help improve economic competitiveness, increase innovation, and create jobs.