Slots: 1
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Contact RII.
LOI: May 30, 2023, 5pm ET
External Deadline: July 11, 2023, 11:59pm ET
Award Information
Award Type: Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately (2) to (3) awards are expected.
Anticipated Award Amount: DOE anticipates that, subject to the availability of future year appropriations, a total of up to $45 million in current and future fiscal year funds will be used to support awards under this FOA.
Who May Serve as PI: 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.
Link to Award: https://science.osti.gov/grants/FOAs/-/media/grants/pdf/foas/2023/SC_FOA_0003044.pdf
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The objective of IFE-STAR is to provide an IFE framework that leverages expertise and capabilities across national laboratories, academia, and industry to advance foundational IFE S&T using integrated and self-consistent solutions as outlined in the BRN report, “Different IFE approaches impose a wide range of nontrivial requirements on the target physics solutions, and there are many complex cross-dependencies between individual subsystems. It is thus of prime importance from the earliest phase of this program to cultivate a set of integrated plant models and quantitative point-design parameters alongside the development of individual subsystem technologies, ensuring that these models appropriately inform decision makers with regards to the tradeoffs between specific solutions.” Therefore, an IFE Hub should address the following essential components:
- Target physics: IFE target designs capable of producing high gains are required for a potential IFE demonstrator or fusion pilot plant (FPP). A Hub may focus on one confinement scheme of interest or address multiple schemes. An example of a PRO of interest: Identify the underlying physics limiting the convergence/areal density required for high gains.
- Driver Technologies: High-efficiency drivers with the repetition rate required for a potential IFE demonstrator or FPP. Also, of interest are scalability, modularity, survivability, compactness, and cost reduction. Example of PROs of interest: (1) Perform IFE driver system-level architecture conceptual design studies and (2) Reduce the cost of diode pumps in DPSSL technologies.
- Target Manufacturing and Engagement: Ignition-quality and high-gain targets that can be mass produced at acceptable cost and injected at the required repetition rate in a potential IFE demonstrator or FPP. Examples of PROs of interest: (1) Demonstrate highvolume techniques for spherical capsule or wetted foam capsule fabrication and (2) Demonstrate accurate engagement on-the-fly of IFE targets by a driver beam.
- Experimental Validation: Conduct experiments to develop/validate high-gain target designs on large-scale facilities.
Additionally, each IFE S&T Hub is expected to demonstrate the following attributes:
• Strong Management Structure: A management structure appropriate for a multiinstitutional and multi-disciplinary center is essential. The director of the IFE S&T Hub will be responsible for communications with the DOE Program Manager on behalf of the center. We expect the Principal Investigator from the lead institution to serve as the IFE S&T Center Director. This individual must be identified in the application. A management structure for various activities should be provided including the role of each private sector partner.
• IFE Ecosystem Stewardship: IFE S&T Hub should discuss their plans to contribute to workforce development including but not limited to internal programs that could be leveraged to develop a diverse IFE workforce, workforce exchange between the public and private sector, annual meeting and networking, and internships for students and postdocs.
The objectives of this FOA are distinct from the Milestone-based Fusion Development Program. Applications focusing on FPP designs are not responsive to this FOA. However, IFE S&T Hubs will be encouraged to dedicate a reasonable fraction of their time to collaborate with the projects under the FES Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program and with any current or future efforts associated with the Bold Decadal Vision.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.