NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering

1. What is the NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering?

It is a joint federal grant program run by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences. The program is designed to strengthen foundational research and education in plasma physics and plasma engineering, with an emphasis on advancing fundamental understanding of plasma behavior.

2. What is the main goal of this partnership program?

The central goal is coordination across agencies: by aligning priorities and pooling resources across NSF and DOE, the partnership aims to expand the reach and impact of basic plasma science and engineering research and build a stronger educational pipeline in the field.

3. What does the program mean by "basic plasma science"?

The opportunity emphasizes basic (foundational) plasma science rather than narrowly defined applications. This includes research that improves fundamental understanding of plasma behavior and the development of experimental and theoretical approaches, diagnostics, modeling, and enabling technologies that support discovery in plasma science.

4. Is the solicitation narrow or broad in research scope?

The solicitation is deliberately broad and multidisciplinary. It is framed this way because plasma is dominated by collective behavior of large numbers of free charged particles, and similar collective dynamics show up across many plasma environments.

5. What research areas are connected to the program, even if the emphasis is on fundamentals?

While the program emphasizes fundamental research, it recognizes that basic advances often translate into progress in areas such as space physics and astrophysics, materials processing and materials science, applied mathematics and computation, fusion energy science, accelerator science, and a wide range of engineering disciplines.

6. Which federal agencies and NSF directorates participate in this partnership?

The program is run by NSF with participation from multiple NSF directorates: Engineering, Geosciences, and Mathematical and Physical Sciences. It is partnered with DOE Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences.

7. How long has this NSF/DOE partnership existed?

The partnership was first launched in FY1997 and has been renewed multiple times.

8. What types of proposals does the program aim to support?

It is designed to support high-quality, curiosity-driven proposals in plasma science and engineering that advance fundamental understanding. The description highlights work involving plasma behavior, experimental and theoretical methods, diagnostics, modeling, and related enabling technologies. It also notes support for the broader research community through shared infrastructure and collaboration.

9. Does the program encourage the use of major research facilities?

Yes. A notable feature is explicit encouragement for proposals that use major user facilities supported by NSF and DOE. This includes facilities intended to serve a broad segment of the plasma community, such as the Basic Plasma Science Facility at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as relevant facilities at DOE national laboratories.

10. Why does the solicitation emphasize user facilities?

The emphasis signals that competitive projects may involve experiments leveraging unique instruments, specialized plasma devices, or national laboratory capabilities that individual institutions typically cannot replicate. The stated expectation is that user facilities can accelerate discovery, improve reproducibility and access, and strengthen collaboration across institutions.

11. Is this a discretionary grant program?

Yes. The opportunity is described as a discretionary grant opportunity.

12. What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling listed for the opportunity is $250,000.

13. How many awards are expected?

The expected number of awards is around 20 for the cycle described.

14. Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning proposals may be submitted by any type of applicant organization, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full solicitation text.

15. What are the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 81.049.

16. What is the Funding Opportunity Number for the posting described?

The Funding Opportunity Number referenced is 16-564.

17. When was this funding opportunity posted?

For the specific posting referenced, it was posted on May 10, 2016.

18. What was the application deadline for the posting described?

For the specific posting referenced, the application deadline was October 21, 2016.

19. What role does education and workforce development play in the program?

The opportunity is positioned as supporting research and education in plasma physics, with an intent to build a stronger educational pipeline. It also frames the program as supporting workforce development and education as part of keeping the basic plasma science enterprise healthy and forward-looking.

20. How should applicants think about the program's overall focus?

The program is best understood as a long-running interagency effort to support fundamental plasma science and engineering: funding basic research questions, encouraging cross-disciplinary work, supporting education and workforce development, and making strategic use of NSF and DOE user facilities to enable experiments and discoveries requiring shared, high-value infrastructure.