This FOA invites applications for a new milestone-based fusion development program (as authorized in the Energy Act of 2020), which is a key component of the bold decadal vision to accelerate fusion energy RD&D in partnership with the private sector.
Donor Name: Office of Science
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: American Samoa, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/20/2022
Size of the Grant: $25,000,000
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
Fusion energy is a potentially safe, abundant, zero-carbon-emitting source of reliable primary energy. Major recent worldwide advances in the science and technology of fusion energy, the emergence of a strong and growing private fusion sector in the United States and abroad, and the objective of achieving “net-zero” global carbon emissions by 2050 have made the acceleration of fusion energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) a national priority. Augmenting the present scientific mission of the Office of Science (SC) Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program with supporting “the development of a competitive fusion power industry in the U.S.” was both authorized in the Energy Act of 2020 and consistent with the recommendations of recent community-informed expert studies and reports, such as the 2020 Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) Long-Range Plan Powering the Future and the 2021 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report Bringing Fusion to the U.S. Grid. The latter helped motivate the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and DOE to co-host a summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. A common theme among these recent activities was the recognition that public-private partnerships (PPPs) present an opportunity to accelerate fusion energy RD&D. A DOE-sponsored Workshop on Fusion Energy Development via Public-Private Partnerships was held recently (June 1–3, 2022); workshop presentations are posted publicly on the FES website.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $25,000,000
- Award Floor: $5,000,000
- DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of performance of a maximum of 5 years, with initial funding covering only the first 18 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications may only be submitted by for-profit domestic entities or the subsidiaries/affiliates of for-profit foreign entities that are incorporated in the United States, including U.S. territories.
- Applications led by a foreign entity must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate. All work under the award must be performed in the United States, but the applicant may request a partial waiver of this requirement.
- The following domestic entities are eligible to apply as a member of a multi-institutional team, but not as the lead institution nor as a standalone applicant:
- DOE/NNSA and non-DOE FFRDCs
- Academic institutions
- Nonprofit organizations, except those described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal
- Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995
- State, local, and tribal government entities
- Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE).
- Eligibility of lead applicants is restricted to for-profit entities because for-profit entities are the only entities capable of meeting “particular technical milestones before a participant is awarded funds by the Department.” 42 U.S.C. § 7256(i)(1).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
