DE-FOA-0003516 .pdf

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC)

Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

Private Facility Research Program

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number:

DE-FOA-0003516

NOFO Type: Initial CFDA Number: 81.049

NOFO Issue Date: January 8, 2025 Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications:

February 19,2025 at 5 pm ET A Pre-Application is required.

Pre-Applications must be submitted by an authorized institutional representative.

Pre-Application Response Date: March 5, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET Submission Deadline for Applications: April 23, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET

Table of Contents

I. BASIC INFORMATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

FUNDING DETAILS

KEY FACTS

KEY DATES

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR / OFFICE HOURS

RECOMMENDATION

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING

C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS

D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS

III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND PRIORITIES

C. AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

D. PERFORMANCE GOALS

E. SUBSTANTIAL INVOLVEMENT

F. PROGRAM UNALLOWABLE COSTS

G. CITATIONS TO STATUTE AND REGULATIONS

H. PROGRAM HISTORY

I. OTHER INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

A. PRELIMINARY SUBMISSIONS

B. APPLICATION

C. COMPONENT PIECES OF THE APPLICATION

D. INFORMATION THAT MUST BE SUBMITTED AFTER APPLICATION BUT

BEFORE AWARD

V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI) AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

(SAM.GOV)

C. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

D. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. RESPONSIVENESS REVIEW

B. REVIEW CRITERIA

C. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

VII. AWARD NOTICES

A. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT

B. ANTICIPATED TIMELINE FOR NOTICE OF SELECTION FOR AWARD

NEGOTIATION

VIII. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

A. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

B. REPORTING

C. REPORTING OF MATTERS RELATED TO RECIPIENT INTEGRITY AND

PERFORMANCE (DECEMBER 2015)

D. INTERIM CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

IX. OTHER INFORMATION

A. CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING COMMON ERRORS

B. HOW-TO GUIDES

C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

D. REFERENCE MATERIAL

I. Basic Information

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC)

Executive Summary

The objective of the Private Facility Research (PFR) program is to support public research utilizing world leading experimental capabilities owned by private companies. Along the path to constructing Fusion Pilot Plants (FPPs), many private fusion companies are constructing interim small-to-large scale research facilities to establish the scientific and/or technological basis for their chosen fusion concepts. Since the research on these interim facilities is largely foundational in nature, the mission overlap between the public and private sectors is large. The PFR program serves as a bridge from boldly delivered private sector hardware back to foundational research expertise residing in the public sector. Through the program, public researchers will conduct open peer-reviewed science at private facilities, to enhance the scientific rigor and breadth of the existing private efforts for the mutual benefit of all involved. As with all thriving high-tech industries, a strong connection to foundational research is essential.

Funding Details Expected total available funding $23 million Expected number of awards 1 to 8 Expected dollar amount of individual awards Public Research Award, Standard: $2 – $21 million Public Research Award, Novel Diagnostic Development: $25,000 – $3 million Data Mirroring Award: $25,000 – $500,000

Expected award project period 3 to 5 years

Key Facts NOFO Title Private Facility Research Program NOFO Number DE-FOA-0003516 Announcement Type Initial Assistance Listing 81.049 Statutory Authority The programmatic authorizing statutes are:

Section 646 of Public Law 95-91, U.S. Department of Energy Organization Act Section 901, et seq. of Public Law 109-58, Energy Policy Act of

Governing Regulations

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, codified at 2 CFR 200 U.S. Department of Energy Financial Assistance Rules, codified at 2

CFR 910

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Rule, codified at 10 CFR 605

Key Dates

Key dates are printed on the cover of this NOFO.

Agency Contact Information

Grants.gov Customer Support

800-518-4726 (toll-free) support@Grants.gov

PAMS

Customer Support

855-818-1846 (toll-free) 301-903-9610 sc.pams-helpdesk@science.doe.gov

Technical/Scientific Program Contact

Dr. Josh King 240-535-0834 josh.king@science.doe.gov

Administrative Contact Ms. Marty Carlin 301-903-3287 marty.carlin@science.doe.gov

Informational Webinar / Office Hours

SC plans to hold an informational webinar about this NOFO. Registration instructions and other details will be posted at https://science.osti.gov/fes-Funding-Opportunities.

Recommendation

SC encourages you to register in all systems as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to submit pre-applications and applications well before the deadline.

mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:sc.pams-helpdesk@science.doe.gov mailto:josh.king@science.doe.gov mailto:marty.carlin@science.doe.gov https://science.osti.gov/fes-Funding-Opportunities

II. Eligibility

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

All types of domestic applicants are eligible to apply, except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995.

Federally affiliated1 entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below:

1. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories

DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Laboratories2 are eligible to submit applications under this NOFO and may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a lead applicant, funding will be provided through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE. No administrative provisions of this NOFO will apply to the laboratory or any laboratory subcontractor. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward will be removed from the prime applicant’s award and will be provided to the laboratory through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section IX of this

NOFO.

2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs

Non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) 3 are eligible to submit applications under this NOFO and may be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a lead applicant, funding will be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section IX of this NOFO.

3. Other Federal Agencies

Other Federal Agencies are eligible to submit applications under this NOFO and may be

1 Institutions that are not DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs, or other Federal agencies are not considered “Federally affiliated,” even if they receive Federal funds or perform work under a Federal award or contract.

2 The phrase “National Laboratories” is used broadly to encompass DOE/NNSA laboratories and sites capable of performing the work described in this NOFO and capable of receiving funds through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System.

3 An authoritative list of all FFRDCs may be found at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/ https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/ proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. If recommended for funding as a lead applicant, funding will be provided through an interagency agreement. If recommended for funding as a proposed subrecipient, the value of the proposed subaward may be removed from the prime applicant’s award and may be provided through an interagency agreement.

Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section IX of this

NOFO.

Notes for applicants of all types:

Applications that are submitted by applicants that have not submitted a required pre-application may be declined without further review.

[Cost sharing needs to be addressed]

B. COST SHARING

Cost sharing for basic and fundamental research is not required pursuant to an exclusion from the requirements of Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Cost sharing is not required of DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal agencies, another Federal agency’s FFRDC, or their subcontractors at any tier. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, other Federal agencies, and another Federal agency’s FFRDC may impose cost-sharing requirements on their contractors subject to their policies and procedures.

Cost sharing will not be considered as a factor during merit review or award selection.

C. ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS

Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as a Principal Investigator (PI) are invited to work with their organizations to develop an application. Individuals from underrepresented groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply.

D. LIMITATIONS ON SUBMISSIONS

LIMITATIONS ON INSTITUTIONS

Public Research Award – Standard Award Subcategory

Each application to the Standard subcategory must propose work involving only one private facility. For each private facility, applicant institutions are limited to no more than one pre-application or application as the lead institution or subrecipient in the Standard subcategory.

Each applicant institution may apply as either a lead institution or a subrecipient at each private facility. For example, University B may submit a single-institution application for work involving private facility X, a multi-institutional application as the lead institution for work involving private facility Y, and may be listed as a subrecipient on a multi-institutional application for work involving private facility Z. In short, each institution may submit a single application within the Standard subcategory for each private facility.

Public Research Award – Novel Diagnostic Development Subcategory

There are no limits on the number of submissions per institution in the Novel Diagnostic Development subcategory.

Data Mirroring Award

Applicant institutions are limited to no more than one pre-application or application as the lead institution.

Should DOE receive submissions in excess of the applicable limits, DOE reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to request additional or clarifying information to ascertain the institution’s intended submissions. Otherwise, DOE will consider the latest received submissions to be the institution’s intended submissions.

• Pre-applications in excess of the limited number of submissions may be discouraged.

• Applications in excess of the limited number of submissions may be declined without review.

LIMITATIONS ON PI

For each Public Research Award, across both subcategories, a PI may submit multiple pre-applications or applications to the PFR NOFO. However, each PI may submit only one pre-application or application per private facility.

The PI on an application may also be listed as a senior or key personnel, including in any role on a proposed subaward, on only one submission per private facility. For example, a PI may submit a single-institution application involving private facility X, and may also be included on another individual’s application as a subrecipient involving private facility Y. However, a PI may not submit a single-institution application involving private facility X, and be included on another individual’s application as a subrecipient also involving private facility X.

Individuals in a joint appointment are eligible to be proposed as a PI if work will be performed at the applicant institution and if the PI is a paid employee of the applicant institution.

PIs are not required to be in tenure-track appointments.

III. Program Description

A. Purpose

The DOE SC program in Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) hereby announces its interest in applications for a Private Facility Research (PFR) program to support public research utilizing world leading experimental capabilities owned by private companies. Along the path to constructing Fusion Pilot Plants (FPPs), many private fusion companies are constructing interim small-to-large scale research facilities to establish the scientific and/or technological basis for their chosen fusion concepts. Since the research on these interim facilities is largely foundational in nature, the mission overlap between the public and private sectors is large. Consistent with the FES Building Bridges Vision4, the PFR program serves as a bridge from boldly delivered private sector hardware back to foundational research expertise residing in the public sector. Through the program, public researchers will conduct open peer-reviewed science at private facilities, to enhance the scientific rigor and breadth of the existing private efforts for the mutual benefit of all involved. As with all thriving high-tech industries, a strong connection to foundational research is essential.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

A confluence of recent encouraging developments has motivated the acceleration of fusion energy efforts. In 2021, private investment in fusion research surpassed that of the public sector for the first time. The many companies that have emerged, each pursuing their own distinctive plasma confinement concept or fusion technology, have resulted in a diverse array of privately owned experimental facilities that are either under construction, operational, or in the process of decommissioning5. Additionally, major science and technological developments in both the public6 and private sectors7, have significantly advanced efforts toward the creation of a fusion energy source. In view of this progress, DOE has announced a plan for realizing commercial fusion energy in partnership with private companies, which is consistent with recent reports8,9,10.

Importantly, there is now an agency-wide DOE Fusion Energy Strategy 202411, in addition to the FES Building Bridges Vision, discussed immediately above. The latter of these two documents will develop a national fusion Science & Technology (S&T) roadmap to address the “how” and “when” of closing critical S&T gaps, and the PFR program will serve as a key bridge from the private sector back to foundational research to address a portion of these gaps.

Through a pilot research project that involved two DOE National Labs and a private fusion company, previously supported through the spherical tokamak general research program, it was

4 https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/fes-building-bridges-vision.pdf 5 The Global Fusion Industry in 2022, Fusion Companies Survey by the Fusion Industry Association.

6 https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-experiment-puts-researchers-threshold-fusion-ignition 7 https://news.mit.edu/2021/MIT-CFS-major-advance-toward-fusion-energy-0908; https://cfs.energy/news-and-media/cfs-commercial-fusion-power-with-hts-magnet 8 https://science.osti.gov/fes/Community-Resources/Workshop-Reports 9 https://science.osti.gov/-/media/fes/fesac/pdf/2020/202012/FESAC_Report_2020_Powering_the_Future.pdf 10 https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25991/bringing-fusion-to-the-us-grid 11 https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/fusion-energy-strategy-2024.pdf https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/fes-building-bridges-vision.pdf https://www.llnl.gov/news/national-ignition-facility-experiment-puts-researchers-threshold-fusion-ignition https://news.mit.edu/2021/MIT-CFS-major-advance-toward-fusion-energy-0908 https://cfs.energy/news-and-media/cfs-commercial-fusion-power-with-hts-magnet https://cfs.energy/news-and-media/cfs-commercial-fusion-power-with-hts-magnet https://science.osti.gov/fes/Community-Resources/Workshop-Reports https://science.osti.gov/-/media/fes/fesac/pdf/2020/202012/FESAC_Report_2020_Powering_the_Future.pdf https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25991/bringing-fusion-to-the-us-grid https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/fusion-energy-strategy-2024.pdf demonstrated that the comprehensive scientific utilization of a world-class private fusion facility can benefit both the public and private sectors12. The public sector researchers gain access to FES mission-relevant experimental capabilities beyond those currently supported by public programs, while private companies benefit from government-sponsored expertise, including scientific validation and risk mitigation, which is beyond the scope of private investors' support.

By combining public sector expertise with the agility of private industry, the depth of research conducted across a breadth of private facilities is improved and scientific insights are accelerated. For this reason, FES is establishing the PFR Program to foster public-private partnerships to deliver peer-reviewed open S&T research.

The PFR program offers two distinct types of awards: (1) Support for publicly sponsored researchers to conduct research involving private facilities, referred to as “Public Research Awards” in this NOFO; and (2) Support for private companies to cover the cost of mirroring their data to a Private Facility Data Repository, referred to as “Data Mirroring Awards” in this

NOFO.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

Award Type 1 – Public Research Awards

Applications for financial assistance are invited from researchers employed by publicly sponsored universities or national labs to conduct open research using world-class experimental facilities owned by private companies. Applications from publicly sponsored industry researchers may be considered as well, but these researchers should take care to describe how they would address real or perceived conflicts of interest. These Public Research Awards are being offered in the following two subcategories: (1) Standard, and (2) Novel Diagnostic Development.

The Standard and Novel Diagnostic Development subcategories have different award sizes.

Standard awards are larger awards with comprehensive scope. Novel Diagnostic Development awards are smaller awards involving targeted efforts to deliver new measurements.

Additionally, applications from private facilities to support the mirroring of data to public repositories are welcome and are described in the “Award Type 2 - Data Mirroring Awards” section of this NOFO.

DATA

Data openness is a fundamental tenet of the PFR program. Although aspects of private companies’ research are proprietary, this PFR program only supports nonproprietary research. In the spirit of data openness, public researchers participating in the PFR program must ensure that the data generated through the installation and operation of their diagnostics are made available

12 https://energy.gov/science/fes/articles/small-fusion-experiment-hits-temperatures-hotter-suns-core https://energy.gov/science/fes/articles/small-fusion-experiment-hits-temperatures-hotter-suns-core to all the PFR program researchers, both public and private. The Digital Data Management policies of the Office of Science13 and additional FES guidance14 should be consulted by all PFR participants.

DATA ACCESS PRIOR TO APPLYING

To participate in the PRF program, public researchers must have access to private facility data.

To ensure data access does not become an impediment to PFR research execution, public researchers must establish access to private facility data prior to submitting a full application. In some cases, this may involve completing private facility training and/or signing data access agreements. Acknowledgment of the completion of all prerequisite tasks and the establishment of data access at the private facility must be documented as part of the Record of Discussion (see Appendix 6). Record of discussion templates will be available at https://science.osti.gov/fes/Funding-Opportunities and under the “Related Documents” tab with this NOFO in https://www.Grants.gov.

PUBLICATIONS

PFR researchers must have the right to publish scientific results. Internal review processes are anticipated to ensure the accurate reporting of data, the exclusion of proprietary data from manuscripts, and the resolution of any topical overlaps with other researchers. Private facilities aiming to suppress or impede the timely communication of potential undesirable results are not permitted within the PFR program. For this reason, internal private facility reviews of paper submissions should be limited in duration to no longer than 1 month.

STANDARD AWARD SUBCATEGORY

Applications will only be accepted for research on private facilities that are expected to be operational between now and CY2027. The following fusion companies have private facilities that meet the aforementioned criterion and have expressed interest in hosting public researchers as part of the PFR program: Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Ex-Fusion, Focused Energy, General Fusion, Kyoto Fusioneering/Fusion Fuel Cycles, Marathon Fusion, OpenStar Technologies, Pacific Fusion, SHINE Technologies, TAE Technologies, Tokamak Energy, and Type One Energy. Note, this list of participating fusion companies is not exclusive; applications involving other companies with facilities expected to be operational by CY2027 are also welcome.

Only research of mutual interest to both the private company and FES is considered for support through the PFR program. The areas of research overlap between the FES mission and the private facility programs are documented in the Statements of Mutual Interest (SMI). For facilities with SMIs, pre-applications must address topics contained in the statements. Pre-applications for research covering topics outside of those described in the SMI may be

13 https://science.osti.gov/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management 14 https://science.osti.gov/fes/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management https://science.osti.gov/fes/Funding-Opportunities https://www.grants.gov/ https://science.osti.gov/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management https://science.osti.gov/fes/Funding-Opportunities/Digital-Data-Management discouraged from submitting a full application.

As part of the project narrative, applications must offer a specific plan to disseminate their findings in peer reviewed journal publications at a national level. These research deliverables must be documented in the Record of Discussion (see Appendix 6) with the collaborating private institution. Despite the need for this journal publication plan, topical flexibility is necessary to ensure scientific productivity given the rapidly evolving experimental schedules anticipated at private experimental facilities.

Applications that include diagnostic and hardware elements are encouraged. Experience has shown that applying the deep diagnostic and operational expertise of the public sector to private facilities offers synergistic benefits to all parties, rapidly accelerating progress. Therefore, in-person, hands-on involvement of public researchers is required for applications involving diagnostic or hardware implementation, and a plan to ensure the appropriate on-site presence at the private facility must be included in the application.

A goal of the PFR program is to achieve both depth and breadth of research. There are dozens of private fusion companies, each pursuing a different S&T concept, with experiments ranging from first-of-a-kind ideas to tokamaks, and with empirically realized plasma performance separated by roughly 20 orders of magnitude. Similarly, the technologies being pursued span all Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Given the quantity, uniqueness, and variety of technical maturity levels of private fusion efforts, ensuring breadth and depth of the PFR program is an exciting opportunity. It is understood that the emergent concepts of today may offer engineering advantages to enable the economic fusion energy sources of tomorrow.

NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCATEGORY

Applications to the Novel Diagnostic Development subcategory focus on developing novel diagnostic tools required for critical measurements in future Fusion Pilot Plants (FPP), as well as measurement tools used for exploring previously uncharted parameter spaces in emerging plasma confinement concepts. While these diagnostics may be motivated by key scientific and technological questions, the primary deliverables pertain to the development of the measurement techniques themselves, rather than the interpretation of the physical phenomena observed.

Preliminary bench testing is expected as part of these awards, but the ultimate goal is the deployment of a diagnostic tool at a private facility. If a measurement technique is too early in its development to be considered for installation at a private facility, it should instead be submitted to the Measurement Innovation program outside of this PFR funding opportunity.

Awards within the Novel Diagnostic Development subcategory may involve diagnostic development targeted at either the exploration of next-step FPP diagnostics relevant to burning plasmas—requiring a fusion-prototypic radiation environment potentially available at a private facility—or the creation of novel diagnostic techniques to support the development of a new fusion confinement concept. These new concepts may involve unique plasma parameter spaces that necessitate innovative measurement approaches.

Applications for Public Research Awards involving the deployment of diagnostic tools can be submitted to both the Standard and Novel Diagnostic Development subcategories, but the distinction between these two types of awards is critical. If the diagnostic technique is already documented in the literature and has been used in plasma facilities, it should be submitted as a component of a Standard award aimed at using the diagnostic to make a physical inference. If the technique has not yet been documented in instrumentation literature or has only been tested on bench systems without being used to make physical measurements, it qualifies as novel and should be submitted under the Novel Diagnostic Development subcategory. Additionally, a Standard award must not depend on the development of a novel diagnostic technique, as challenges in implementing such techniques could jeopardize the physics objectives of the Standard award.

All information and requirements associated with Public Research Awards in the “Data,” “Data access prior to applying,” and “Publications” subsections above also apply to the Novel Diagnostic Development subcategory (e.g., Record of Discussion).

Award Type 2 – Data Mirroring Awards

The data generated during the operation of private experimental facilities represents the culmination of millions to billions of dollars of capital investment and tremendous human effort spanning years. This data may prove invaluable to the broader pursuit of a fusion energy source.

It is for this reason that the preservation of private facility data is considered an important element of the PFR program.

Although the mirroring of private facility data is not a requirement of the PFR program, private facilities are invited to submit applications for financial assistance to cover the costs associated with mirroring a copy of their scientific data and metadata to the Private Facility Data Repository (PFDR). Each private facility applicant must submit a multi-institutional application with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), the host laboratory of the PFDR, outlining the planned data to be mirrored. For these applications, the private facility will be the lead applicant and PPPL a subrecipient.

The mirrored copy of the private facility data may serve as the primary access point for PFR researchers, or simply preserve the data for future examination and/or protect PFR program researchers from unforeseen changes to data access. Additionally, public collaborators may directly access data stored on private facility servers and use private facility developed analysis tools in much the same way as their private company colleagues.

Data mirroring applications should strive to maximize data openness and sharing. However, any embargo periods or access criteria must be documented in the narrative section of these applications. Adherence to any conditions for data access will be at the discretion of the PFDR national laboratory.

Applications must include a clear plan to ensure the stored data is broadly useful to fusion researchers. These plans should outline the type and volume of data to be stored and detail the creation of websites that provide the necessary metadata and data viewing software, enabling researchers to begin analysis and make physical inferences. While it is encouraged, it is not mandatory for applications to adopt the principles of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse (FAIR). Finally, only non-proprietary data may be stored as part of a Data Mirroring Award.

STATEMENTS OF MUTUAL INTEREST

The statements below outline the mutual research interests shared by the FES program and private companies for each eligible facility. While some topics may be of interest only to either FES or the private company, only topics of shared interest are permissible.

These Statements of Mutual Interest (SMIs) were developed with private companies that either registered to attend the first PFR workshop or received a Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program award. Other facilities not listed may also be considered, provided they anticipate operating a private facility by CY2027. If a private company wishes to include an SMI for their facility in a future PFR NOFO, please contact Josh King (Josh.King@science.doe.gov).

This list of participating fusion companies is not exclusive: applications involving other companies with facilities expected to be operational by CY2027 are also welcome. For facilities not included in this list of SMIs, applicants must provide a brief description of the facility in their pre-application, including the expected timeline for experimental operations.

mailto:Josh.King@science.doe.gov

Commonwealth Fusion Systems

Private Facility: SPARC. Located in Devens, MA

Private Facility Point of Contact: Julie Platano (jplatano@cfs.energy)

Facility Description: SPARC will be a high-field (B0 = 12.2T) compact (R=1.85 m and a = 0.57

m) tokamak capable of operating with deuterium–tritium fuel and designed to achieve up to Pfus = 140 MW and Q = 11 in nominal H-mode operation, H98=1.0. The high field and compact size are enabled by novel high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets jointly developed by CFS and MIT. Though it uses HTS, SPARC remains a pulsed device, with flattop Δt~10 s at 8.7 MA and current ramps of ~1 MA/s. The facility has a design lifetime of 10 years and 13,000 pulses. For auxiliary heating, SPARC will be equipped with ICRH that is expected to deliver up to 25 MW of coupled power. The 120 MHz waves can heat 4He, D, and DT plasmas at 12 T using a 3He minority and at 8 T using a H minority. SPARC will also have a flexible means of injecting fuel and impurities, limited at present to: H, D, T, 3He, 4He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe.

SPARC is designed to test pellet fueling and pellet-based ELM pacing, but these capabilities are not planned for the first campaign. A set of 18 low-field side non-axisymmetric coils will be used for error field correction and testing RMP-based ELM-control. SPARC will use an MGI-based disruption mitigation system to start, though this can be modified through port-plug upgrades, and will test a novel n=1, in-vessel runaway electron mitigation coil. Pre/post campaign glow-discharge cleaning and intra-campaign ion cyclotron discharge cleaning, including with deuterated diborane, will be used for wall conditioning. SPARC has up/down symmetric tungsten PFCs and can support a wide range of magnetic configurations, including x-point target, and has cryopumping on the outer divertors. More information can be found in reference 1.

Timeline: SPARC is currently under construction in Devens, Massachusetts and plans to begin commissioning in 2025. Plasma operations will begin near the end of 2026 and rapidly move toward Q>1 in 2027. Going forward, SPARC will operate in roughly 6-month plasma campaigns separated by roughly 4-month maintenance periods. The first campaign will be very focused on achieving Q>1 in a DT L-mode. The second campaign will likely not use tritium, instead focusing on fully commissioning additional tokamak systems as well as plasma scenarios, particularly H-mode operation in deuterium plasmas. Subsequent campaigns will move toward higher fusion power, including Q=11, and answering targeted physics questions supporting the design and operation of ARC, many of which are aligned with the critical gaps identified in the CPP report and FESAC LRP.

Available Measurements: SPARC will be equipped with a comprehensive set of plasma diagnostics, based on techniques demonstrated on tokamaks worldwide. The diagnostic systems for the first campaigns will support basic tokamak operations, high-power and high-current operations, and ensure reliable Q>1 measurements. To achieve these objectives, a targeted set of ~50 plasma diagnostics are being designed and built, and the measurement classes and examples are listed in the table below. High spatial resolution and/or high time resolution are sometimes not supported as diagnostics prioritize plasma observation for real-time control and to inform inter-pulse decision making. More information on the early campaign diagnostics is available in reference 2.

mailto:jplatano@cfs.energy

List of SPARC early campaign Diagnostics

While access to diagnostic data will be provided to PFR collaborators, rights to use and publish first author work will be limited to topical areas and scope defined in the PFR Record of Discussion.

SPARC will also be making measurements that will not be shared publicly. This includes, but is not limited to, data covering general plant operations, magnet health and operation, including quench detection, as well as engineering data that would enable those outside CFS to intuit proprietary information or trade secrets. Additional details on CFS views on data sharing and availability are available in reference 3.

Research Topics of Interest: The mission of FES includes building the knowledge needed to develop a fusion energy source. To this end, actively engaging public researchers in CFS’s mission to achieve Q>1 in SPARC as quickly as possible following the first plasma is mutually beneficial for both parties. Publicly funded researchers will be integrated into the SPARC scientific team for the first campaign, though discovery-driven, long-term projects that may require appreciable SPARC operational time are expected to be pursued after the first campaigns.

PFR teams should possess a broad range of expertise to provide operational support in promptly achieving the Q>1 goal and use this knowledge and experience to enable growth into improved utilization of SPARC. Potential PFR applications are encouraged to reach out to CFS as early as possible to discuss specific topics and modes of interaction that may be of mutual interest. Early engagement can help shape a partnership approach that aligns with the goals and resources of both public and private stakeholders.

Research will be focused on plasma investigation, aiming to advance tokamak science through the use of SPARC. This is distinct from the FIRE collaboratives, where CFS has already committed support with some utilization of SPARC. The FIRE collaboratives will focus primarily on exposure and environmental testing, with the objective of validating a technology.

SPARC experimental data has the potential to advance the understanding of many aspects of tokamak physics, including but not limited to confinement and stability at high field and high density, burning plasma physics, disruption physics, boundary physics, and heat flux management in power plant-relevant conditions. While the primary mission of the SPARC tokamak is to demonstrate Q>1 and to set the stage for construction of the ARC power plant, the SPARC project has and will continue to learn new physics along the way.

The objectives of SPARC PFR projects, beyond the first run campaigns, should align with topics of mutual interest to both FES and CFS, with potential for broader exploration as public researchers become more familiar with SPARC’s capabilities. In subsequent campaigns, PFR researchers are anticipated to have a greater role in guiding SPARC’s scientific direction, as their deep integration within the team will likely yield insights that inform future research.

These awards may involve developing physics software tools to enhance SPARC data interpretation or to plan pulse sequences more effectively for future operations. This could include making predictions prior to specific experiments and then comparing them to actual data from the experimental runs. Diagnostic and/or hardware contributions to the SPARC facility are also anticipated, as described in further detail in subsequent sections. Overall, it is expected that PFR researchers will be participating in experiments that push the limits of SPARC’s fusion power output.

Desired Measurements: SPARC was designed with upgradability in mind: Up to 32 port plugs on SPARC can be exchanged, space and utility capacity in the Tokamak Hall have been set aside for new programs, and the shielding wall between the tokamak and the Diagnostic Labs can be reconfigured. To ensure personnel and equipment safety, CFS will need to maintain oversight and likely need to lead engineering design activities for partner-provided diagnostics, and the detailed division of responsibilities and ownership will be documented in the Record of Discussion prior to partner application submission.

There is mutual interest in diagnostic enhancements that would improve back-end analysis equipment in the Diagnostic Labs, or expanding diagnostics that use existing design concepts.

Hardware examples include increasing the number of core X-ray spectroscopy lines of sight, fielding additional types of sensors on neutron/gamma camera beamlines, enhancing the resolution and sensitivity of the MPR spectrometer hodoscope, increasing resolution for core Thomson scattering, expanding the bandwidth of reflectometry, and installing additional cameras and spectrometers on existing UV/vis/IR beamlines. Software contributions improving the pulse-planning, real-time control or post-shot analysis of existing diagnostics would also be of interest.

There is also mutual interest in making SPARC more robust to physics and control uncertainties.

This would add back-end analysis upgrades leveraging existing optical, microwave and laser beamlines for turbulence studies, such as fast framing cameras, correlation ECE, reflectometry and high-frequency interrogation of interferometry. PFR efforts could also enable enhancements that require fielding Tokamak Hall equipment leveraging existing port-plug capabilities that deferred ex-vessel design. This includes instruments such as a divertor-viewing IRVB and spectrometers for outer-divertor viewing VUV beamlines.

PFR researchers provided measurements that require a change to the facility layout may also be considered if they are sufficiently compelling. This could mean deploying new port plugs, adding a new type of beamline, or adding equipment in the Diagnostic Labs that requires significant space or utilities. Some examples of equipment include Doppler Backscattering, pedestal Thomson scattering, collective Thomson scattering, expanded high-frequency Mirnov coverage or adding a neutral particle analyzer. SPARC has been designed conservatively and after demonstration of disruption loads, new near-LCFS measurements may be allowable such as scanning Langmuir probes, fast-ion loss detectors, gas-puff imaging and material exposure/exchange facilities.

Additional Opportunities: In addition to the desired measurements above, enhancements to SPARC auxiliary systems will be considered. These include pellet injectors for fueling and ELM-control, integration of direct internal recycling systems to study compatibility with D-T tokamak operations, a laser blow-off system, non-MGI mass injection approaches for disruption mitigation and power supply enhancements for 2D/3D copper coils. Heating and current drive enhancements may also be of interest, but would require more engineering development as well as observations from early SPARC operations to prioritize need. At this time SPARC does not have neutral beams for H&CD, which eliminates beam-based diagnostic concepts from the desired measurements, near-term.

References:

1) Creely, A.J., et al. SPARC as a platform to advance tokamak science. Physics of Plasmas, 30 090601 (2023).

2) Reinke, M.L. et al. Overview of the Early Campaign Diagnostics for the SPARC Tokamak. Review of Scientific Instruments, 95, 103518 (2024)

3) Reinke, M.L. et al. The role of peer review in the pursuit of commercial fusion energy.

Physics of Plasmas, 30 100603 (2023)

EX-Fusion

Private Facility: eX-Fusion Continuous Operation Laser Reactor (XF-COLR), Hamamatsu, Japan

Private Facility Point of Contact: US: Max Monange (US Operations Manager), max_monange@ex-fusion.com, Japan: Yoshitaka Mori (CTO), yoshitaka_mori@ex-fusion.com

Facility Description: The facility integrates key components of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) research. It includes two laser systems designed to mimic different aspects of fusion reactions:

1. Implosion-Mimic Laser: A four-beam, 0.53 µm wavelength laser capable of delivering 4 J per 10 ns pulse at 10 Hz.

2. Heating-Mimic Laser: A two-beam system with a 0.8 µm wavelength, delivering 2TW:

0.2J per 100 fs pulse at 10 Hz. Upgrades are planned to achieve 10 TW (0.6 J/60 fs).

3. The facility also houses a repetitive-target delivery system, which features a 10 Hz free-fall bead pellet injector and a laser illumination chamber to support high-energy density experiments.

These capabilities are geared toward advancing plasma physics and fusion energy research by enabling precise, repetitive experiments.

Timeline: The facility is currently operational with the following systems:

• Implosion-Mimic Laser: 0.53 µm wavelength, 0.7 J, 9 ns, 10 Hz, four-beam configuration.

• Heating-Mimic Laser: 0.8 µm wavelength, 0.2 J, 100 fs, 10 Hz, two-beam configuration.

• Pellet Injector: 10 Hz free-fall system for φ1 mm SUS beads.

An upgrade to the laser systems is planned for FY2025:

• Implosion-Mimic Laser: Increase to 4 J, 7 ns, 10 Hz.

• Heating-Mimic Laser: Increase to 10 TW (0.6 J/60 fs, 10 Hz).

The experimental schedule is flexible and can be discussed with potential collaborators.

Available Measurements: X-ray Pinhole Imaging: Capable of measuring the plasma temperature of laser-illuminated pellets.

Research Topics of Interest: High Energy Density Physics: Focusing on plasma dynamics, shockwave propagation, and fusion-relevant material interactions under extreme conditions.

Desired Measurements: PFR collaborators are welcome to contribute additional diagnostics to the illumination chamber.

mailto:max_monange@ex-fusion.com mailto:yoshitaka_mori@ex-fusion.com

Focused Energy

Private Facility: IFE Laser Demonstration Facility, Alameda, CA

Private Facility Point of Contact: Pravesh Patel, Chief Technology Officer, pravesh.patel@focused-energy.world

Facility Description: The IFE Laser Demonstration Facility will house a minimum of two kilojoule (kJ) class, enhanced shot-rate (shot/min) laser systems – one long-pulse (ns) and one short-pulse (ps), enabling studies of a broad range of inertial fusion energy (IFE) concepts, including direct-drive central hotspot, shock ignition, and fast ignition. Two unique capabilities of this facility will be (1) the first kJ-class broadband, 3w long-pulse laser specifically designed to study laser-plasma instability (LPI) mitigation – a critical requirement for laser-based IFE, and

(2) an enhanced shot-rate of a shot/min at high laser energy, providing a capability to collect large experimental datasets suitable for parametric studies and statistical analysis. Targetry, diagnostic, control, and data analysis systems able to operate at this enhanced shot-rate will need to be developed. Focused Energy envisions providing access to the facility to collaborators and potentially external users.

Timeline: 01/2025: Facility acquisition

05/2026: Construction complete 06/2026: First light at low energy 03/2027: Long-pulse laser system installed and commissioning 06/2027: Long-pulse laser operations 07/2027: Short-pulse laser system installed and commissioning 10/2027: Combined long-pulse and short-pulse laser operations

Available Measurements: Standard suite of optical, x-ray, and nuclear diagnostics for both long-pulse and short-pulse laser-irradiation of solid target experiments (i.e., VISAR/SOP, optical probing, backscatter, XUV and x-ray imaging and spectroscopy, proton magnetic spectrometers and imagers).

Research Topics of Interest: Laser-plasma instability (LPI) measurement and mitigation using broadband 3w laser pulses, proton acceleration and focusing studies relevant to proton fast ignition, diagnostic development for high-repetition rate IFE implosion facility

Desired Measurements: Numerous diagnostics and measurement techniques developed for OMEGA, NIF, and small-scale facilities (e.g., LaserNetUS facilities) would be valuable to field at this facility. Of particular interest would be the development of a new generation of diagnostics operating at enhanced shot rates (e.g., shot/min). This requires the replacement of existing film, image plate, radiochromic film, or CR-39 track detectors with fully electronic detectors.

mailto:pravesh.patel@focused-energy.world

General Fusion

Private Facility: Lawson Machine 26 (LM26), Richmond, BC Canada

Private Facility Point of Contact:

Patrick Ellis, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Patrick.Ellis@GeneralFusion.com

Facility Description:

General Fusion’s LM26 will electromagnetically compress a solid lithium cylinder around a plasma to achieve 10 keV plasma temperatures by 2025 and the Lawson criterion by 2026. The core components of the machine are a plasma injector that forms a spherical tokamak, the solid lithium cylinder, and an electromagnetic theta pinch compression system.

Plasmas are formed via coaxial helicity injection into a compression vessel. The plasma injector for LM26 has been operational since 2017. Some parameters of the injector are shown in Table 1.

Electrical current conducted to the theta pinch coils drives the liner inwards, collapsing the plasma against a conical center section compressing the plasma, thus increasing its density, temperature, and magnetic field. The plasma injector and compression system both use large capacitor banks with 5 MJ and 18 MJ of energy, respectively. The compression experiments last about 5 ms and will be conducted once per week. In the final configuration, density will increase from 5x1020 m-3 to 5x1023 m-3, core temperature from 300 eV to 10-20 keV and core magnetic field from 0.5 T to 30-100 T

Although LM26 is a unique MTF demonstration, it features components common to both MCF and ICF concepts including pulse power design, plasma formation, plasma-wall interactions, and extensive diagnostics for both plasma and solid compression geometry.

Timeline:

The LM26 machine assembly is nearing completion. Operations are expected to begin in early 2025.

General Fusion anticipates weekly compression experiments will be conducted on LM26 throughout 2025 and 2026.

mailto:Patrick.Ellis@GeneralFusion.com

Available Measurements:

Research Topics of Interest:

Lithium-Plasma interactions, plasma stability modelling, beta limit modelling, neutron measurement and validation, dynamic plasma modelling and simulation, plasma compression, pulsed power design and optimization

Desired Measurements:

Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd.

Private Facility #1: Kyoto FLiBe Loop (KFL), Kyoto, Japan

Private Facility Point of Contact: Yushi Daito, Program Lead, y.daito@kyotofusioneering.com CC: Carli Smith, US-based Technical Point of Contact, c.smith@kyotofusioneering.com

Facility Description:

The Kyoto FLiBe Loop (KFL) is a lab-scale test facility owned and operated by Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd. (KF) and located at Kyoto University. It is a forced convection molten salt loop equipped with a FLiBe refining system, enabling a variety of research activities. KFL is designed to operate at temperatures of up to 650°C with a total FLiBe inventory of 8 kg, supporting investigations into the topics outlined in the "Research Topics of Interest" section.

Table 1 contains a list of the key facility attributes.

Table 1: Facility Attributes

Timeline: KFL has been constructed and installed at Kyoto University, and FLiBe procurement is underway. The following timeline outlines the steps to achieve full operation:

2025 – 2026: Basic testing for scale-up: Fill the Loop with FLiBe for test run to check pump flow performance, material corrosion behavior, hydrogen isotope extraction, and purification.

2027 – 2028: Scale-up (tentative based on results up to that point).

mailto:y.daito@kyotofusioneering.com mailto:c.smith@kyotofusioneering.com

KFL is equipped with a thermometer, a liquid level gauge, and a pressure gauge, and can measure the following parameters:

• Temperature of molten FLiBe

• Surface temperature of material (piping, flanges, test cell, pump, valve)

• Liquid level (tank, test cell)

• Cover gas pressure

• Pump speed

There is no flowmeter; however, it is possible to estimate…