The Department of Energy announced a funding opportunity of up to $400 million for basic research spanning fusion energy, nuclear physics and other foundational science programs on Oct. 1.
The investment will support research at national laboratories and universities across the country, the department said, framing the announcement as advancing the Trump administration’s energy and scientific priorities.
The funding covers multiple cutting-edge research domains under DOE’s Office of Science, including Basic Energy Sciences, Fusion Energy Sciences and Nuclear Physics. These programs underpin the long-term research pipeline for technologies that could reshape the nation’s energy supply in coming decades.
Fusion energy — the process that powers the sun — has been a long-sought goal of the scientific community and achieved a landmark milestone in 2022 when the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory demonstrated net energy gain from a fusion reaction for the first time. The new funding could accelerate follow-on research.
For American consumers and energy markets, investments in basic energy research today determine which technologies become commercially viable in the future. Nuclear and fusion technologies offer the potential for reliable, high-capacity electricity generation with minimal carbon emissions.
Federal research and development spending of this scale sets the scientific agenda for years, influencing what projects national laboratories prioritize and which university research programs receive support. The $400 million opportunity touches institutions across multiple states, supporting thousands of scientists, engineers and graduate students.
The Fusion Industry Association has advocated for increased federal investment in fusion research, arguing that the United States risks falling behind international competitors — including China, which has invested heavily in fusion programs.
The American Physical Society has also called for sustained federal funding in basic sciences, warning that gaps in research investment take decades to recover from.
Details on the application process, eligible institutions and specific research priorities are available in the DOE announcement.