This bill would change how the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD Fund) works. It updates language in the 1977 law that created the fund, expands which countries and sectors can take part, adds support for mid-stage agricultural research, and creates a new "BARD Fund Accelerator" program. The bill also authorizes yearly funding for those activities for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
The bill's findings say the BARD Fund was established in 1977, has approved more than 1,300 projects, invested $315,000,000 over time, and generated a reported $16 for every $1 spent. It says BARD-funded research led to new farming practices, patents, and commercial activity.
Key changes in the bill text include: a small wording update about the fund's original 1977 entry; expanding eligible partners to include Israel, United States sectors, signatories of the Abraham Accords, Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel, and other interested nations; explicitly supporting mid-stage research; authorizing $8,000,000 per year for certain BARD Fund activities; and adding a new accelerator program with $12,000,000 per year authorized to support midstage research, technical assistance, management guidance, and fast-tracking cooperative projects.
Supporters point to the bill's findings that the BARD Fund has run since 1977, approved over 1,300 projects, and helped create new agricultural practices, patents, and commercial ties. The bill frames expansion and the accelerator as steps to speed development of cooperative agricultural research and to help mid-stage projects move toward practical use.
No publicly available information.