Grants / Department of Energy / Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy

DE-FOA-0002499: Request for Information (RFI): Nonconventional Fusion Approaches and Energy Applications

Closed Closed April 30, 2021 Opportunity DE-FOA-0002499 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Unlocking New Levels of Output and Capacity for Key Subsurface Resources (UNLOCK) (DE-FOA-0003630). Status: Closes November 20, 2026 (13 days left). It is in our archive of Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy notices from 2021.

• Award ceiling$1
• Award floor$1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeOther

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

• Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses, individuals.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy awards averaged $1.9 million; this notice allows up to $1 per award.
• Most of the program's money (43% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

Request for Information (RFI): Nonconventional Fusion Approaches and Energy Applications This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is not soliciting application for financial assistance. The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs. This RFI solicits input for a potential future ARPA-E research program on nonconventional fusion approaches and energy applications, defined further below. This is a new “hybrid” RFI format where you may choose to (1) provide a written response, as with past ARPA-E RFI’s, and/or (2) participate in a related online “incubator” and “ask me anything” (AMA) session hosted on a platform developed by Polyplexus, LLC. Guidance for (1) is provided at the end of this document. For (2), please follow this weblink: https://polyplexus.com/incubator?idIncubator=577. The incubator and AMA, which are scheduled from March 17 to April 7, 2021 and March 26 (1–3 PM EDT), respectively, are like an online chat forum that allows for dynamic, evidence-based discussions moderated by an ARPA-E Program Director, providing an opportunity for interested parties to actively influence the discussion and interact with the Program Director. The incubator discussions and AMA will be visible to any registered Polyplexus user; registration is free and available to anyone according to the terms available at the site linked above. Your participation in the incubator and AMA are not required in order to provide feedback on this potential future program, but strongly encouraged. Recent studies show that including a firm, low-carbon primary energy source in the overall energy mix will dramatically lower electricity system costs in deep-decarbonization scenarios. Fusion energy is one of a very few potential firm, low-carbon energy sources that can scale to global proportions, and is therefore an important technology option to develop, both to help meet mid/late-century decarbonization targets and to provide a long-term sustainable energy solution for humanity. Worldwide fusion research and development (R&D) focuses on thermonuclear approaches using deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel because (1) thermonuclear approaches appear to have the most likely path to demonstrating net energy gain, and (2) D-T has the highest thermal fusion reactivity at the lowest required temperatures of all known fusion reactions.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003630, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.