Quantum Information Science Research for Fusion Energy Sciences | DE FOA 0002078

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002078

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program offered this discretionary research grant opportunity to support Quantum Information Science (QIS) work that can advance fusion energy sciences. The core idea behind the call is that FES is responsible for strengthening the scientific foundation needed to eventually develop practical fusion energy, and it does that by funding research that improves our understanding of plasma (often called the fourth state of matter) under extreme conditions. That includes studying how plasma behaves at very high temperatures and densities, how it interacts with surrounding materials and fields, and how it evolves over time. It also includes developing advanced diagnostics to measure plasma properties in detail and building theoretical and computational models that capture the essential physics. This opportunity positions QIS as a promising, fast-moving set of tools and concepts that could accelerate progress on those long-standing fusion science challenges.

The announcement frames QIS as strategically important for two reasons that align with FES priorities. First, FES tries to identify emerging advances in science and technology that can be genuinely transformative, meaning they could change the pace or direction of progress rather than just incrementally improving current methods. Second, FES-supported research has a track record of producing spin-off benefits beyond fusion itself, with broader applications that can advance U.S. economic competitiveness and societal needs. QIS is presented as fitting both of those goals: it is an interdisciplinary field with the potential to reshape computing, sensing, and information processing, and it is also viewed as an area where U.S. leadership is tied to national security and competitiveness, a point reinforced in the cited July 31, 2018 Office of Management and Budget memo on R&D priorities.

Administratively, the funding opportunity is identified as "Quantum Information Science Research for Fusion Energy Sciences" under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002078. It is a grant (not a contract) and falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category, with CFDA number 81.049. The agency listed is DOE Office of Science, and the opportunity was created on March 7, 2019 with an original closing date of May 9, 2019. The expected scale was up to about six awards, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award.

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it was open to a wide range of applicant types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that would have appeared in the full announcement text. In practical terms, that usually signals openness to universities, national laboratories, nonprofits, and private-sector entities, provided they meet DOE grant requirements and any specific conditions included in the FOA.

In summary, this grant opportunity sought proposals at the intersection of fusion plasma science and quantum information science, with the intent to harness emerging quantum approaches to improve how researchers measure, model, and understand plasmas and related fusion-relevant phenomena. The broader motivation is to speed up progress toward fusion energy foundations while also helping cultivate U.S. leadership in QIS, an area DOE treats as cross-cutting across its Office of Science programs and as strategically important to national competitiveness.

• 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 "Quantum Information Science Research for Fusion Energy Sciences" 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 Mar 07, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 09, 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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 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.

Apply for DE FOA 0002078

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