The objective of the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) is to accelerate research for the development of cost-effective, innovative fusion energy technologies in the private sector.
INFUSE is a Department of Energy (DOE) initiative to provide the fusion industrial community with access to the technical and financial support necessary to move new or advanced fusion technologies toward realization through public-private partnerships. Under the INFUSE initiative, the Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Science program (DOE-FES) provides funds for awards to assist company applicants seeking access to the world class expertise and capabilities available across the U.S. DOE national labs and accredited U.S. universities.
DOE-FES accepts research applications focused on innovation that supports the production and utilization of fusion energy (e.g., for generation of electricity, supply of process heat, etc.) in the following general topic areas:
- Enabling technologies,
- Materials science,
- Diagnostic development,
- Modeling and simulation,
- Unique fusion experimental capabilities,
- Paths to commercialization.
Each cycle, applications go through a formal review process. For the applications that are awarded, funding is sent to partner institution (national laboratory or U.S. university) so they can use their unique capabilities to help the company complete the project described in their Request For Assistance (RFA); this helps companies overcome critical scientific and technological challenges they face in the pursuit of fusion energy.
In the majority of cases, the DOE grants single year awards with a value of between $100k and in $500k and a duration of 12 months. However, DOE-FES will entertain requests for higher amounts and a duration of 24 months for work deemed to be of critical value to the company. In all cases, the company must provide a 20% cost share. This is calculated based on the full project cost (where the full project cost is defined as the sum of the government share and the private partner share) and as detailed in a budget estimate worksheet submitted with the RFA. A single company may submit up to five RFAs per award cycle and they may fall under one topic area or be spread across several.
More information about who is eligible to apply and how to apply can be found under the submission tab at “RFA Submission Information”.
The INFUSE process interface between the private sector and government
can be viewed in hi-resolution here.
Acronyms, defined
DOE-FES: Department of Energy office of Fusion Energy Sciences. To learn more about DOE-FES visit their webpage linked here
PI: Principal Investigator. There are two PIs in each INFUSE project: one from the company and one from the partner institution. These are the people who haver responsibility for the project from their respective institutions.
RFA: Request For Assistance. This is the research application that eligible companies submit to the DOE. Some of these applications become awards and are funded. For more information on RFAs, look under the “submission” tab.
FWP: Field Work Proposal. This document concisely explains all activities that will be done under the INFUSE award by a national laboratory. It is written by the laboratory PI and approved through the laboratory local DOE office and must be submitted for funds to be transferred.
CRADA: Cooperative Research And Development Agreement. This is a document signed by the business and national laboratory partnering in the INFUSE project before work begins. This document includes, but is not limited to, an outline of the scope and timeline of the work being conducted, details on information and property transfer and management, and deliverable requirements. To make this process more efficient, INFUSE has two standard CRADAs: a general CRADA and a small business CRADA that has separate eligibility requirements. The standard CRADAs and information on eligibility can be found at the bottom of the page “RFA Submission Information” under the submission tab.
IPMP: Intellectual Property Management Plan. This is a document must be generated and signed by the business and university partnering in the INFUSE project before work begins.
If you have questions or wish to offer feedback on the INFUSE program, email the Program Director at [email protected]