U.S. Department of Energy Announces $4.6m in 2024 INFUSE Public-Private Partnership Awards
On August 8, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $4.6 million in 17 public-private partnership awards through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program, further driving fusion acceleration by collaboration between industry, national labs, and universities.
Projects in this round of funding went to research in materials science, modeling and simulation, and enabling technologies to help achieve commercial fusion energy. There were 17 total awards; 14 of which went to FIA members and affiliate members: Blue Laser Fusion, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Electric Power Research Institute, ExoFusion, Focused Energy, Kyoto Fusioneering, Realta Fusion, TAE Technologies, Tokamak Energy, Type One Energy, Xcimer Energy.
You can find the full list of awardees on the INFUSE website.
“The selections today showcase our continuing commitment to the fusion industry in the U.S. and our goal to share widely unique capabilities at national laboratories and U.S. universities,” said Jean Paul Allain, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences. “Partnering with businesses and working together is a win-win for our fusion industry, the DOE, and the nation.”
Dr. Jean Paul Allain, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences
Within the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the INFUSE program was established in 2019 to accelerate fusion development in the private sector by fostering collaboration between business, national laboratories, and universities. Awards are given to private industry to spend with national labs and universities. The program solicited proposals from the fusion industry and selected projects for one or two-year awards between $100,000 and $500,000 each. The request for applications for FY2025 is expected to come out in December 2024.
The Fusion Industry Association supports INFUSE and its ability to build cross-cutting partnerships towards fusion commercialization, and advocates for its growth to match the need for fusion energy at scale.
