Collaborative Fusion Energy Research in the DIII-D National Program | DE FOA 0001762

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001762

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through its Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, is offering grant funding to support collaborative fusion energy research carried out within the DIII-D national research program. This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0001762) is centered on research that uses the DIII-D tokamak at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility operated by General Atomics in San Diego, California. The core purpose is to strengthen the scientific foundation for optimizing the tokamak approach to fusion energy, using DIII-D's highly flexible operating space and extensive diagnostic capabilities to improve understanding and predictive modeling of fusion plasmas.

A key requirement is that proposed work must be primarily focused on research using the DIII-D tokamak or on modeling and simulation efforts that include validation and verification using DIII-D experimental data. In other words, DIII-D needs to be central to the research plan, whether the work is experimental, computational, or a tightly coupled combination of experiment and theory. Proposals that do not substantially involve DIII-D are considered out of scope. Likewise, requests that only seek experimental run time on DIII-D without a broader research project are not eligible under this announcement.

Programmatically, the DIII-D effort is positioned to advance both near-term and long-term fusion goals. It supports the U.S. pathway toward burning plasma operation in ITER, including physics and control methods relevant to achieving high fusion gain (including research connected to enabling Q=10 operation on ITER). It also targets the physics basis for high-performance, steady-state or long-pulse operation associated with the advanced tokamak (AT) concept, and it emphasizes boundary and exhaust solutions needed for future devices. The FOA highlights that DIII-D is a platform for rigorous experiment-theory comparisons that can tighten predictive capability for plasma behavior, a critical need for designing and operating next-step fusion experiments and eventual reactors.

Research topics must align with two broad DIII-D program elements. The first is the scientific basis for the Burning Plasma Core, which includes areas such as transient control (for example, controlling disruptive events or other rapid plasma changes) and research that supports ITER-relevant performance and the pathway to steady-state operation. The second is the scientific basis for Boundary Solutions, which includes detachment control (methods to reduce heat loads by spreading and cooling exhaust power), divertor optimization (improving the component that handles heat and particle exhaust), and investigations of new wall materials that are more reactor-relevant. Overall, the FOA is looking for proposals that can demonstrably contribute to high-impact tokamak physics questions tied to core confinement and stability, plasma control, and boundary/edge and divertor physics.

The opportunity is explicitly collaborative in nature. DIII-D research is run as a large, integrated team effort, and the FOA expects applicants to describe how they will contribute not only to their own study goals but also to the broader program execution. That includes, where appropriate, supporting shared needs such as operating diagnostic systems, delivering analyzed datasets to the team, participating in coordinated experimental planning, and contributing to facility or experiment support functions required to execute DIII-D campaigns. Because DIII-D experiments typically require coordinated participation across many specialists, competitive applications should make clear what support the proposing group will provide to the overall team and what resources or coordination they will rely on from DIII-D collaborators.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category (CFDA 81.049). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations may apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the FOA text. The FOA was created June 7, 2017, with an original closing date of September 21, 2017, and it anticipated making about five awards. The stated award ceiling is $700,000. The solicitation is aimed at applicants seeking new or renewal support for Fiscal Year 2018, and it directs all such DIII-D-focused proposals to be submitted under this announcement rather than through unrelated solicitations.

• The Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Collaborative Fusion Energy Research in the DIII-D National Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 07, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 21, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $700,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0001762

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