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U.S.-Israel Binational Foundations: Trilateral Industrial Development (TRIDE)

The Trilateral Industrial Development Foundation (TRIDE) was jointly established by the governments of the United States, Jordan, and Israel as a pilot program in 1996 to encourage economic cooperation as a pillar of the peace process. Overall, TRIDE seeks to be a catalyst for joint regional cooperation and development.

Based on the model of the BIRD Foundation, and led by its management team, TRIDE supports joint venture projects by private sector firms from the three countries and promotes research and development, manufacturing, and marketing of new products and technologies.

TRIDE's mission is to stimulate and promote cooperation between Israeli, Jordanian and U.S. firms to jointly develop and commercialize new products and technologies. TRIDE removes impediments and shares the companies’ risks by financing part of their joint development cost.

TRIDE focuses its project funding to specific areas of interest: water efficiency and use; desalination; renewable and effecient energy; agriculture in hot and arid regions; communciation systems; software systems; and, healthcare systems.

Projects funded by TRIDE must have research or development performed by a company in each of three nations and conditional grants are then awarded of up to 50% of the project budget. If projects end with a functioning and marketable system or product, only then would revenue from sales be used to repay the cost of the original grant.

Key Events in TRIDE's Evolution

  • June 1996: Announcement of TRIDE as a pilot initiative; Initial $1 million funding approved; First Executive Committee
    appointed
  • November 1996: First 2 TRIDE projects approved
  • October 1999: Third TRIDE project approved
  • December 2005: Second round of funding completed - $1M
  • September 2007: First Project (second round) approved
  • January 2008: Receiving additional proposals, with emphasis on water and energy

Each proposal submitted to TRIDE is reviewed and graded, independently, by 3 professional reviewers, one from each country. This panel includes a reviewer from the American National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), a reviewer from the Office of the Israeli Chief Scientist (OCS), and a reviewer from the Jordanian Royal Scientific Society (RSS). Examples of areas of interest for grants include water (efficiency, reuse, desalination of brackish sources, etc.), energy (efficiency, renewables, etc.), agriculture in hot and dry areas, communication systems, software systems, and healthcare systems.

TRIDE cost-shares with participating companies up to 50% of the development costs, to the point of commercial readiness, of innovative technology-based products or processes which have reasonable potential for generating revenues. Development budgets typically range between $1-2 million over a period of 1-2 years. Repayments of the grant received are made only from revenue generated from the developed product, without any additional profit-sharing. If there are no revenues, no repayment is required.

TRIDE Management

Dr. Eitan Yudilevich
Executive Director

Executive Committee:

From Jordan:
Dr. Montaser Oklah
Secretary General
Ministry of Industry and Trade

From Israel:
Dr. Eli Opper
Chief Scientist
Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor

From the U.S.:
Mr. Marc Stanley
Deputy Director
National Institute of Standards and
Technologies (NIST)

Contact Information

Mail: P.O. Box 58054, Tel Aviv 61580, Israel
Office: Kiryat Atidim, Bldg. 4, Tel Aviv 61581, Israel
Contact:  Einat Spivak Dabush
Tel: 972-3-647-0710
Fax: 972-3-649-8341
e-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.tride-f.com/