Department of Energy Announces $5 Million for Fusion Research via Public-Private Partnerships

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $5 million to accelerate fusion research through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) public-private partnership program. INFUSE is modeled after the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), which supports access to national lab resources for private companies in the area of nuclear fission. The goal of INFUSE is to accelerate fusion energy development in the private sector by reducing impediments to collaboration between the private sector and national laboratories or universities. The overarching objective is to accelerate foundational research to advance economical, innovative fusion technologies to ensure the nation’s energy and security needs. 

“The INFUSE program continues to build bridges between public expertise and private innovation to maintain our nation’s leadership in fusion energy” said Jean Paul Allain, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences. “By accessing the resources of our national laboratories and universities, the U.S. private fusion sector can move faster to develop technologies to help enable a secure energy future for the U.S.”

The INFUSE program seeks to support research in enabling technologies, materials, diagnostics, as well as modeling and simulation. INFUSE also supports activities for eventual fusion commercialization and provides access to unique fusion experimental capabilities such as those found at U.S. universities and national laboratories.

Applications are open to private companies, which must commit a minimum of 20% cost share for work in conjunction with a U.S. university or a national laboratory. Total planned funding is up to $5 million in Fiscal Year 2025 dollars. Individual awards with a value of $100,000-$500,000 for a single year of work are anticipated, though the INFUSE program will entertain requests for higher amounts and a duration of 24 months for work deemed to be of critical value to the company.

The 2025 INFUSE Request for Assistance (RFA), sponsored by the Fusion Energy Sciences Program within the Department’s Office of Science, can be found on the INFUSE Website. Previous winners of INFUSE awards are also listed on the website.

For reference, a list of previous SC press releases for FOAs and awards can be found on the Office of Science awards page.