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Caption: Fusion ignition was achieved in 2022 and has been repeated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Shown here is the National Ignition Facility's preamplifier module. Scientists have been trying to duplicate the same force that powers the sun since the 1930s, and LLNL scientists were the first to generate more energy than they put in. Still, scientists warn it will be a while before the technology becomes commercially viable. Credit: Damien Jemison/LLNL
Department of Energy Announces $4.6 Million
to Fund Public-Private Partnerships for Fusion Research
Awards will connect private sector companies working in fusion
with DOE national laboratories and U.S. universities
In a continuing effort to forge and fund public-private partnerships to accelerate fusion research, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today awarded $4.6 million in 17 awards to U.S. businesses via the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program.
The goal of INFUSE is to accelerate fusion energy development in the private sector by reducing impediments to collaboration between business and national laboratories or universities. The overarching objective is to ensure the nation’s energy, environmental, and security needs by accelerating foundational research to advance economical, innovative fusion technologies.
Projects for this round of funding include research in materials science, modeling and simulation, as well as enabling technologies to help move toward the ultimate goal of economical fusion energy.
Fusion has the potential to provide abundant, reliable, and non-carbon-emitting energy by harnessing the power of the sun and the stars. The recently announced DOE Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 seeks to accelerate the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector.
The U.S. has set a goal of enabling a fusion pilot plant, led by the private sector, on a decadal timescale as the country moves toward a net-zero economy by 2050. Within the Fusion Energy Sciences program, the Building Bridges vision has three major elements, one of which is “Bridging Gaps: Creating innovation engines with national laboratories, universities, and industry to support science excellence and technology readiness for fusion energy.” These INFUSE awards directly support this element through enabling the public sector to pursue questions of interest to the private sector.
“The selections today showcase our continuing commitment to the fusion industry in the U.S. and our goal to share widely unique capabilities at national laboratories and U.S. universities,” said Jean Paul Allain, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences. “Partnering with businesses and working together is a win-win for our fusion industry, the DOE, and the nation.”
The 17 projects were selected via a competitive peer review process managed by the INFUSE leadership team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
The program solicited proposals from the fusion industry and selected projects for one- or two-year awards, all with budgets ranging between $100,000 and $500,000 each.
Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.
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