Introduced in House — H.R. 4473

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 4473

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.

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.