DE-FOA-0003044: Inertial Fusion Energy Science & Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR)
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot (DE-FOA-0003673). Status: Closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left). It is in our archive of Office of Science notices from 2023.
Office of Science offered grants of up to $16.0 million (at least $8.0 million) to any type of organization. It expected to make $45.0 million in total. Applications closed on July 11, 2023.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed May 4, 2023. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$16.0 million
- Award floor$8.0 million
- Total funding$45.0 million
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeCooperative Agreement, Other
Key dates
| Posted | May 8, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | July 11, 2023 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | August 10, 2023 |
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"
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past Office of Science Financial Assistance Program awards averaged $1.2 million; this notice allows up to $16.0 million per award.
- Most of the program's money (69% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The DOE SC program in Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for the Inertial Fusion Energy Science & Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR). The core of IFE-STAR will be multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary IFE Science and Technology Innovation Hubs referred to in this FOA as “IFE S&T Hubs”. A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report entitled “An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy”1 concluded that “The appropriate time for the establishment of a national, coordinated, broad-based inertial fusion energy program within DOE would be when ignition is achieved”. In the last two years, the National Ignition Facility has produced two significant scientific results. First, in August 2021, a burning plasma was achieved with a record yield of 1.3 megajoules (MJ) from thermonuclear fusion reactions of an inertially confined deuterium-tritium (DT) plasma2,3. Then, in December 2022, the National Ignition Facility achieved scientific (target) gain of 1.5 and unequivocally met the definition of ignition from an earlier NASEM report. Motivated by the 2020 Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) Long-Range Plan “Powering the Future: Fusion & Plasmas”4 and the breakthroughs on the National Ignition Facility, FES commissioned a Basic Research Needs Workshop (BRN) in preparation for an IFE program. The BRN report discussed Priority Research Opportunities (PROs) that should be addressed by an IFE program within FES5.
Who has won Office of Science Financial Assistance Program grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (81.049) awarded $7.7 billion across 6,205 grant awards, an average of $1.2 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University Foundation | Michigan | 84 | $573 million |
| General Atomics | California | 30 | $495 million |
| University of Wisconsin System | Wisconsin | 101 | $275 million |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | 118 | $238 million |
| University of Illinois | Illinois | 61 | $201 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003673, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is DE-FOA-0003044 still open?
No. It closed on July 11, 2023. A newer notice is open: DE-FOA-0003673, closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left).
Who can apply for Inertial Fusion Energy Science & Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR)?
Office of Science accepted applications from any type of organization.
What is the deadline for Inertial Fusion Energy Science & Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR)?
Closed July 11, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $16.0 million each. About $45.0 million in total.
Who has won Office of Science Financial Assistance Program grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Michigan State University Foundation, General Atomics, University of Wisconsin System. The program made 6,205 awards worth $7.7 billion in that time.