FOR RELEASE
Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce: Vered Nohi, PICC@PhillyIsraelChamber.com 302-540-6374
(Philadelphia – January 23, 2017) First responders and Homeland Security officials from the Greater Philadelphia Region will get a first-hand look at the newest leading edge technologies from Israel in a groundbreaking summit conference to be held in Philadelphia this week. The goal is to fortify their ability to respond to large scale events, protect critical infrastructure and ensure commercial continuity in times of threat.
Arranged by the Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the meeting, scheduled for Wednesday January 25 at the University City Science Center, will engage technology users, developers and integrators from both Israel and the United States in a discussion of challenges and solutions. The 8:30AM-2:00PM event is designed to offer participants a variety of collaboration, funding and business development opportunities.
The roster includes the following notable guests:
- Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan, City of Philadelphia Police
- Inon Elroy, Government of Israel Economic Minister to North America
- Daniel Cotter, Director, First Responder Group, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director, U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD)
Among the subscribed participants are senior representatives from the Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania Turnpike, Police Departments of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Houston, Thomas Jefferson University, Magen David Adom (Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service) and U.S. and Israeli companies including American Airlines, Comcast, Leidos, and Tyco.
The event will also promote the second annual Call for Proposals for “NextGen First Responder Technologies,” a U.S.-Israel initiative and funding program that supports U.S.-Israel joint development in advanced technologies for First Responders. Under its terms, eligible projects can receive a conditional grant of up to 50% of their joint R&D budget, with a maximum of $1million. The program was established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, and the Israeli Ministry of Public Security. It is managed by the BIRD Foundation. Submission details and a full list of capability gaps are available at www.BIRDF.com.
The security summit this Wednesday is a joint venture of the Philadelphia Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Government of Israel Economic Mission and the BIRD Foundation, and has the support of Select Greater Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, University City Science Center, ASIS International and NDIA’s (National Defense Industrial Association) Philadelphia Chapters.
For additional information visit www.phillyisraelchamber.com.
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Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce:
The unique mission of the Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (PICC) is developing business and academic ties between, Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware, and Israel. The PICC is a non-profit, non-denominational, independent organization focused on creating commercial and investment opportunities between the two regions.
The PICC also represents the US-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD), which has made more than $10 million in industrial R&D grants regionally to U.S.-Israeli technology ventures.
The Government of Israel Economic Mission in New York
The Government of Israel Economic Mission in New York is part of the Foreign Trade Administration at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry. Our goal is to promote trade and investment between Israel and the United States, particularly the markets on the East Coast (including Philadelphia, Boston, the Carolinas, and NYC).
We promote collaboration between Israeli and U.S. companies in a variety of sectors. We encourage foreign investment in Israeli companies, and identify Israeli entities and companies that are open to cultivating a U.S. presence, developing R&D or other strategic cooperation.
U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation
The U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation works to encourage and facilitate cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and offers funding to selected projects. BIRD has approved over 900 projects over its 39 year history. The BIRD Foundation supports projects without receiving any equity or intellectual property rights in the participating companies or in the projects, themselves. BIRD funding is repaid as royalties from sales of products that were commercialized as a result of BIRD support. The Foundation provides funding of up to 50% of a project’s budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not require repayment if the project fails to reach the sales stage.