Theoretical Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Science | DE FOA 0001973

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001973

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science is soliciting grant applications under the funding opportunity titled "Theoretical Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Science" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001973, CFDA 81.049). The core purpose of this opportunity is to strengthen the theoretical foundations of magnetic fusion energy by improving scientific understanding of how magnetically confined plasmas behave and, just as importantly, by building the predictive capability needed to make fusion a reliable, sustainable energy source. The program is positioned as early-stage research with broad public benefit, framed in the context of long-term U.S. energy leadership. Proposed work can range from traditional analytical theory to the development and use of advanced simulation tools designed to take advantage of next-generation high performance computing.

A central theme is that theory is not being funded in isolation; it is expected to directly support and inform the physics models that go into large-scale integrated fusion simulations, including those associated with the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) portfolio. In practice, that means proposals that contribute to model development, validation of physical assumptions, and improvements to predictive simulation capability are especially aligned with program goals, particularly when they help enable integrated or Whole-Device Modeling approaches.

Applications are expected to fit within at least one of five technical research areas. The first is macroscopic stability, which deals with device-scale equilibrium and stability and aims to predict, avoid, control, or mitigate major instabilities, including disruptions and other damaging or performance-limiting transient events. The second area, confinement and transport, targets the collisional and turbulent processes that cause losses of heat, momentum, and particles from the plasma core, and it explicitly welcomes theory-based predictive transport modeling using first-principles approaches or sophisticated reduced models. The third area, boundary physics, focuses on the plasma edge region, spanning from the pedestal (just inside the last closed flux surface) out to the material walls, including the scrape-off layer; this includes pedestal structure, edge behavior, and transitions into enhanced confinement regimes, but it draws a clear line that research on processes inside plasma-facing materials is not responsive. The fourth area, plasma heating and non-inductive current drive, seeks theory and modeling of how radiofrequency waves and other external methods heat plasmas and drive current without relying on inductive means, including how launchers and surrounding plasma interact. The fifth area, energetic particles, addresses the nonlinear coupling among the bulk plasma, instabilities, and energetic particle populations (including fusion-born alpha particles), with attention to how these interactions affect energetic particle confinement and overall device performance.

In terms of strategic fit, the DOE indicates that priority will be given to proposals aligned with the FES strategic priorities laid out in "Fusion Energy Sciences, a Ten-Year Perspective (2015-2025)" and with critical issues raised in recent community workshops. Proposals that directly support SciDAC-driven advanced simulation efforts, particularly those oriented toward integration and Whole-Device Modeling, are strongly encouraged. When the work is configuration-specific, the program preference is for tokamaks (including spherical tokamaks) and stellarators. Other toroidal confinement concepts may be considered, but only when the relevance to tokamak or stellarator science is clear and compelling.

The announcement also clarifies what kinds of supporting activities are and are not considered a fit. Verification and validation work can be supported if it is strongly theory-driven and not mainly a data-analysis or evaluation project (since those are typically supported through major facility research programs). On the other hand, research centered on theoretical aspects of plasma diagnostics (including synthetic diagnostics) is not supported here, and neither is enabling science work such as atomic physics. Crosscutting plasma topics like magnetic reconnection or plasma turbulence are eligible, but only when they are tied directly to magnetic confinement fusion needs rather than treated as stand-alone general plasma physics problems.

Administratively, this was a discretionary grant opportunity from the DOE Office of Science, open to unrestricted applicant types (with any limits only as noted in the full eligibility text). The FOA was created January 11, 2019, with an original closing date of March 26, 2019. The program anticipated about five awards, with an award ceiling of $2.5 million. Overall, the opportunity is best read as an effort to fund theory and computation that can materially improve predictive understanding of confined plasmas, reduce risk in reactor-relevant regimes, and feed high-impact physics models into the U.S. fusion simulation ecosystem.

• The Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Theoretical Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 11, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 26, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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