[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4473 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4473
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 16, 2025
Mr. Weber of Texas (for himself, Mr. Pappas, and Ms. Tenney) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Israel Bilateral
Innovation for Research and Development in Health Act of 2025'' or the
``BIRD Health Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Binational Industrial Research and Development
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 research and development collaboration.
(2) Since its inception, the BIRD Foundation has approved
over 1,000 projects with a total investment exceeding $500
million, generating over $10 billion in sales.
(3) In the past decade, approximately 30 percent of the
projects approved by the BIRD Foundation have been related to
health, biotechnology, life sciences, medical devices,
diagnostics, and telemedicine.
(4) The United States and Israel have successfully expanded
the activities of the Bird Foundation into dedicated programs
targeting specific industrial needs, including energy, cyber,
and homeland security.
(5) The United States and Israel signed a health, medical,
and scientific cooperation agreement on January 4, 2016, which
is designed to foster collaboration in various health-related
areas.
(6) In 2020, Congress allocated $2 million to establish a
bilateral collaboration program with the Israel for the
development of health-related technologies.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF BIRD HEALTH PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall enter into a cooperative agreement to establish a
bilateral research and innovation program (in this Act referred
to as the ``BIRD Health Program'') to facilitate and coordinate
efforts 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 services 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 applicable agreements or
understandings between the United States and Israel.
(b) Program Administration, Goals, and Components.--The cooperation
agreement referred to in subsection (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 jointly governed by
representatives from the Department of Health and Human
Services and the Ministry of Health of Israel, who shall
actively participate in defining 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 development
projects between United States and Israeli
institutions, companies, and academic organizations in
the field of health technologies;
(B) to support the commercialization and deployment
of innovative healthcare products and services,
including--
(i) medical devices and diagnostics;
(ii) pharmaceuticals and biological
products;
(iii) genomics and personalized medicine;
(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 Program shall
provide funding for the following:
(i) Research and development.--Programs and
activities for research and development,
including--
(I) joint research projects between
United States and Israeli institutions
and companies;
(II) promoting collaboration in
areas such as medical device
technology, pharmaceuticals (including
biological products, genomics, and
innovative 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
advanced manufacturing
techniques that can enhance
productivity, reduce 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 ecosystem.--
Programs and activities for health-related
ecosystems, including--
(I) fostering collaboration between
United States and Israeli startup
companies and other companies in the
healthcare sector;
(II) facilitating innovative
technology 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
cybersecurity standards for sharing
data, promoting patient privacy, and
encouraging research.
(iii) Health care system strengthening.--
Programs and activities for health care system
strengthening, including facilitating sharing
best practices, knowledge, and skills in areas
such as clinical care and health care
management.
(B) Telemedicine and digital health cooperation.--
The BIRD Health Program shall provide funding for
programs and activities for telemedicine and digital
health cooperation for establishing initiatives--
(i) to enhance telemedicine infrastructure;
(ii) to promote interoperability between
United States and Israeli health care systems;
and
(iii) to facilitate collaboration on
digital health technologies, data analytics,
and cybersecurity.
(C) Disease prevention initiatives.--The BIRD
Health Program shall provide funding for collaborating
in disease prevention, including joint efforts to
combat infectious diseases, develop vaccines, and share
epidemiological data.
(D) Biological product manufacturing.--The BIRD
Health Program shall provide funding for--
(i) promoting biological product
manufacturing;
(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 develop
contingency plans to mitigate biological
product supply disruptions.
(5) Project selection criteria.--Projects selected for
funding under the BIRD Health program shall be evaluated based
on--
(A) technical merit and innovation;
(B) commercial potential and economic impact;
(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.
SEC. 4. FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) Funding.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary 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 agreement 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 submit 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.
SEC. 5. REPORTING AND EVALUATION.
(a) Annual Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary
of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress an annual report
detailing 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 resulting 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 Congress, 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, diagnostic driven by
artificial intelligence, and biologic.
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