S. 4853: United States-Israel Agriculture Cooperation Improvement and Expansion Act

This bill would update the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, known as the BARD Fund, which supports joint agricultural research projects between scientists in the United States and Israel.

What the bill changes

• It keeps the basic BARD Fund partnership in place and clarifies the statute’s language.
• It adds a specific goal for the fund to support mid-stage research on agricultural projects that are of interest to both countries.
• It creates a new “accelerator” program within the BARD Fund. This program would help move promising research forward faster by:
  • speeding up cooperation between participating scientists,
  • providing resources and services to help develop research more quickly,
  • offering management guidance, technical assistance, and consulting, and
  • supporting collaborative projects that serve U.S. and Israeli agricultural interests.
• It authorizes $8 million per year in federal funding for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out these activities.

What the bill is meant to do

In practical terms, the bill would expand a long-running U.S.-Israel agricultural research program so it can do more than just fund basic research projects. It would also help move research that is already underway toward practical use by giving additional support, advice, and coordination.

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