Project Grant DESC0025573

This $265,965 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) supports research and development by Nearstar Fusion Inc., a for-profit organization, on a new approach to fusion energy for grid-based electric power. The project aims to perform computational modeling, analytical calculations, and design work to de-risk and establish a point design for a "hypervelocity gradient field fusion" concept. This...

The National Science Foundation awarded Avalanche Energy Designs Inc. a $274,890 Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant to characterize the fusion gain factor Q for their Orbitron micro-fusion reactor technology. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to use particle-in-cell code, experiments, and plasma loss mechanism analysis to optimize fusion gain factor modeling and enable mitigating solutions for future small-scale fusion reactor...

The Fusion Innovation Research Engine Integrated Materials Program to Accelerate Chamber Technologies (FIRE IMPACT) is a $14,448,913 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science on February 1, 2025. The agreement funds research at the University of Tennessee (UT) and its UT AG Research Division, doing business as Tennessee Agriculture Experien, to advance scientific understanding and technological innovations in areas such as nuclear engineering,...

The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) awarded a $1,100,000 Cooperative Agreement to Stanford University on September 18, 2025. The grant, titled "Gaseous Optics for Next Generation Fusion Energy Lasers" (DE-FOA-0003387), is focused on developing gas-based optical components such as mirrors, lenses, and beam shapers that can withstand the extreme conditions of inertial fusion energy (IFE) laser systems. This research aims to overcome a key...

The Department of Energy's Office of Science awarded a $199,926 Project Grant under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) to Bridge 12 Technologies, Inc., a small business in Natick, Massachusetts. The grant, awarded on February 18, 2025, supports the development of a 350 GHz, 0.25 MW robust gyrotron optimized for high-volume production for net electric fusion reactors. The project aims to advance fusion energy technology by delivering a specialized high-frequency...

The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) awarded a $499,999 project grant to Fuceltech Inc. dba Princeton Innotech to develop the next generation of high-power diode pump lasers for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The grant's purpose is to increase the pulse energy density of the diode pump lasers used in LLNL's ICF system from the current state-of-the-art of 8 kW/cm2 to a target of 11 kW/cm2,...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $100,000 Project Grant to Hampton University to organize a conference focused on workforce development needs for future fusion energy technologies. This award was made under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041). The conference, planned for late May 2024, will bring together public and private stakeholders to identify opportunities for partnership in fusion research and education. The goal is to address the workforce needs of the emerging...

Tibbar Plasma Technologies Inc. was awarded a $995,712 cooperative agreement from the National Science Foundation under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to support development of a plasma heat engine for efficient production of fusion energy. The two-year award running from December 2021 through November 2023 will allow Tibbar Plasma to advance its technology for an innovative fusion energy generator with the potential to provide clean, sustainable power. As part of its mission to promote...

The Department of Energy Office of Science awarded a $199,985 Project Grant to Bridge 12 Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of terahertz and microwave technology, to develop a 350 GHz, 1 MW class gyrotron for commercial fusion reactors. The grant was funded under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049), which supports scientific research and technology development to advance energy, economic, and national security. Through past federal contract and grant awards, Bridge...

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science awarded a $168,243 project grant to Aimilight Sensors And Intelligent Systems Inc. on February 18, 2025 to fund the project "REAL-TIME TRITIATED GAS COMPOSITION ANALYSIS THROUGH WAVEGUIDE ENHANCED OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY FOR FUSION FUEL CYCLES". The grant is part of the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049), which supports fundamental scientific research across multiple disciplines to advance U.S. energy, economic,...