U.S. Fusion Firms Win $8.5M in 28 Research Awards
The INFUSE awards fund early-stage fusion research partnerships, with commercial power still years away.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Nuclear
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science announced $8.5 million in fiscal year 2026 funding for 28 awards under its INFUSE program, which pairs private fusion companies with National Laboratories and universities. The awards are research-stage partnerships, not deployed fusion technology.
Why it matters
The INFUSE program is a federal mechanism for moving fusion research from lab benches toward commercial viability, and its partnerships connect private developers to national lab facilities. The DOE also opened its FY 2027 solicitation with broader consortium eligibility and a new topic for fusion pilot plant designs, signaling a push from component research toward full-scale plant planning.
The figures come from a competitive peer-review award process in which 28 projects were selected from the fusion industry's proposals. Per-project budgets of $100,000 to $500,000 indicate targeted, early-stage collaborations rather than large capital programs, and the stub does not report the measured technical results the awards will produce.
The players
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
The DOE's principal basic research arm, which funds fusion, high-energy physics, and computing research across the National Laboratory system.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A DOE National Laboratory in Tennessee with long-running fusion and materials research programs and a home base for the INFUSE leadership team.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
A DOE National Laboratory in New Jersey specializing in magnetic confinement plasma research, including tokamak and stellarator fusion work, and home to part of the INFUSE leadership team.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
A DOE National Laboratory in California known for inertial confinement fusion research, and home to part of the INFUSE leadership team.
The details
INFUSE, the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy, matches U.S. private fusion companies with DOE National Laboratories and universities that hold specialized research facilities and expertise. Projects were chosen through a competitive peer review managed by the INFUSE leadership team, which operates at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Of the 28 selected projects, 17 are led by National Laboratories and 11 by universities, and together they involve 22 commercial partners.
Timeline
November 2, 2026: DOE announced $8.5 million for 28 INFUSE awards.
Before November 2, 2026: The INFUSE team opened the FY 2027 Request for Assistance.
Fiscal year 2026: Funding year for the selected awards.
One- or two-year terms: Duration of the selected project awards.
The Tech Race
The INFUSE awards place U.S. fusion development within a field where private firms and national labs are pursuing parallel routes to commercial power. The new pilot plant design topic signals that DOE is moving to support the planning stage that competing fusion efforts also must complete.
For now, the awards affect researchers and fusion companies rather than the public, and the stub does not indicate any timeline for commercial fusion power. Companies and universities interested in participating should review the FY 2027 Request for Assistance, which introduces consortia eligibility and a new pilot plant topic.
The takeaway
The awards show DOE pairing private fusion firms with national lab and university expertise at a modest scale of $100,000 to $500,000 per project. Watch the FY 2027 INFUSE selections and whether the new pilot plant design topic draws proposals that move beyond component research.
What happens next
The FY 2027 Request for Assistance is now open, and proposals under its expanded consortia eligibility and fusion pilot plant review topic will be the next step in the INFUSE cycle.
Further reading
For context on the broader federal effort, see the Nuclear coverage on how public-private fusion programs are developing.
More information
Review the full list of INFUSE selected projects on the DOE Office of Science website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Electric Energy Online.
