Collaborative Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences on International Long-Pulse Superconducting Tokamaks | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Science and its Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), offered this funding opportunity to support U.S.-led, multi-institutional research teams doing experimental magnetic fusion research on international long-pulse superconducting tokamaks. The core idea is to place U.S. scientists in strong, coordinated partnerships with overseas host laboratories that operate some of the most advanced long-duration tokamak facilities. By working on machines capable of sustaining plasmas for long periods, these projects are meant to accelerate the science and technology base the U.S. will need for ITER operations and, more broadly, for future fusion energy devices that must run reliably in steady-state or near steady-state conditions.

Programmatically, the opportunity sits within the FES Burning Plasma Science Long Pulse Tokamak program element. It emphasizes frontier research questions that only long-pulse, superconducting tokamaks can realistically address, including exploring plasma physics regimes that are difficult to access on shorter-pulse devices. The overall scientific challenge highlighted in the announcement is achieving high-performance core plasma regimes that are suitable for long-pulse operation, meaning regimes that do not just look good briefly but can be produced repeatably, maintained for long durations, and controlled with confidence despite evolving conditions in the plasma and the surrounding hardware.

The FOA lays out four main topical areas. First, it seeks work on high-performance operating scenarios that can be robustly produced and sustained, with an emphasis on control: teams are expected to study how to create strong confinement and performance while also demonstrating the ability to regulate and maintain that state over long timescales. Second, it prioritizes the boundary region of the plasma, including the scrape-off layer, because long-pulse operation makes heat and particle exhaust a central limitation. This area includes understanding boundary physics and developing divertor approaches that can handle high power loads, limit erosion of divertor target plates, and still remain compatible with good core confinement. Third, it targets plasma-material interaction in an integrated way, focusing on how the plasma couples to material walls and how actuators used for sustainment and control interact with those wall conditions. The goal is to develop solutions for the plasma-material interface that credibly extrapolate to steady-state reactor needs. Fourth, it calls for establishing the physics and engineering basis of the auxiliary systems that enable long-duration control, meaning the external systems that heat, drive current, fuel, shape, and stabilize plasmas over extended discharges, along with the associated control methods.

A key requirement is that proposals cannot be developed in isolation from the international host facilities. Applicants must have already discussed the planned research with program leaders and key collaborators at each facility they intend to use. Each application must include a letter of collaboration (or similar documentation) from a program leader at the host facility. These letters are expected to go beyond general support and spell out what local resources the facility is committing (for example, access to experiments, diagnostics, analysis support, or staff engagement) and clarify the roles and responsibilities of both the host team and the U.S. collaborators, including how they will work together day to day and how participation will be managed (on-site versus remote).

In evaluating and prioritizing applications, FES indicated it would favor projects that align with FES strategic priorities and make strong use of recently upgraded capabilities at international superconducting long-pulse tokamaks. It also notes the importance of targeting critical gaps highlighted in community research needs workshops, supporting and expanding U.S. leadership in international collaborations, and using remote collaboration tools effectively so that teams can balance limited on-site time with robust remote participation without sacrificing scientific impact.

From the administrative side, this was a discretionary funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001498) using cooperative agreements, reflecting DOE’s expectation of substantial programmatic involvement during execution. The program fell under CFDA 81.049 and was open to a broad range of applicant entities (unrestricted eligibility, subject to any clarifications in the full text). The stated award ceiling was $2,000,000 per award, with an expectation of around 10 awards. The opportunity was posted February 19, 2016, and had a closing date of April 28, 2016. A companion announcement for DOE National Laboratories (LAB 16-1498) was also referenced, indicating a parallel pathway for lab-led participation aligned with the same research themes.

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