DOE’s $8.5 million fusion round targets practical research gaps

The path toward fusion power runs through questions about cables, sensors and materials as well as plasma. The US Department of Energy’s latest INFUSE selections put those supporting research problems into a concrete portfolio of company–laboratory partnerships.

DOE announced $8.5 million for 28 selected projects on November 2 through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy. Its release describes one- or two-year projects with individual budgets between $100,000 and $500,000. Seventeen projects are led by national laboratories and 11 by universities, involving 22 commercial enterprises.

The announcement comes with an explicit condition: selection for award negotiations does not commit DOE to issuing an award or providing money. Negotiations must occur before funding is issued, and selections can be rescinded.

Access to research capacity

INFUSE’s structure also matters. According to the program’s official description, funds go to the partner laboratory or university so it can help the company solve a specified research problem. The company contributes at least 20 percent of the total project cost, including both public and private shares. The program is a route to research expertise and facilities, rather than a direct cash award to a company.

The new list pairs Maritime Fusion with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to study how superconducting cables for fusion magnets share current and remain stable. It also pairs Westinghouse with Idaho National Laboratory to test neutron-conversion layers for measuring neutron spectra in fusion breeder blankets.

Another selection links Type One Energy with the University of Wisconsin–Madison on an AI and machine-learning pipeline for spectroscopy analysis. These entries describe planned investigations; the list does not report completed findings or demonstrate a commercially operating fusion plant.

A separate next round

DOE also highlighted the fiscal 2027 call, which was already open before this announcement. Its request-for-assistance document allows eligible research consortia and includes reviews of pilot-plant designs and related systems. That future round is separate from the 28 fiscal 2026 selections, and its funding depends on available appropriations.

The 2027 document calls for final reports and project summaries describing technical and business outcomes. Those deliverables will provide a more useful measure of what the partnerships accomplish than the selection announcement alone.