Research Basic Plasma Science and Engineering | DE FOA 0002889

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002889

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, through its Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, is soliciting proposals for the grant opportunity titled "Research Basic Plasma Science and Engineering" (Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0002889). The focus is on supporting new or renewal projects led by a single principal investigator or a small research group, with the goal of advancing frontier-level research in basic plasma science and engineering. The opportunity sits within the FES Discovery Plasma Science portfolio, specifically the Plasma Science and Technology - General Plasma Science (GPS) program, and emphasizes fundamental understanding and enabling science rather than near-term product development.

The technical scope is broad and covers both basic plasma physics and low temperature plasma science. On the basic plasma physics side, DOE is interested in fundamental dynamical processes that occur in laboratory plasmas as well as in space and astrophysical environments. Examples explicitly highlighted include magnetic reconnection (how magnetic field lines break and reconnect, rapidly converting magnetic energy into particle energy), dynamo processes (mechanisms that generate and sustain magnetic fields), shocks, turbulence and turbulence cascades, and the formation and evolution of plasma structures. The announcement also points to interest in waves, flows, and their interactions, which includes how energy and momentum move through plasmas and how instabilities can arise and saturate.

Beyond these broadly applicable plasma dynamics topics, the FOA calls out several specialized plasma regimes and systems. These include dusty plasmas (plasmas that contain charged microparticles or nanoparticles that strongly affect transport and collective behavior), non-neutral plasmas (plasmas with a net charge, often used in precision traps and beam-like configurations), and single-component matter or antimatter plasmas, which can be relevant to fundamental physics and advanced confinement studies. It also includes ultra-cold neutral plasmas, a regime where temperatures are extremely low compared to typical plasmas and where strong coupling and unusual collective effects can be explored.

On the low temperature and applied-science side, the opportunity includes plasma chemistry and plasma-enabled processes, particularly where partially ionized plasmas drive chemical reactions, produce reactive species, or alter material surfaces. The scope explicitly includes interfacial plasma (plasma interactions at boundaries such as gas-liquid or plasma-solid interfaces), plasma-based synthesis of nanomaterials, and studies of how plasmas interact with surfaces, materials, or biomaterials. These topics are commonly tied to understanding and controlling surface modification, thin film growth, etching, functionalization, sterilization, and other plasma-material interaction pathways, with the emphasis here on the underlying science and predictive understanding.

The FOA also notes that this portfolio supports research opportunities connected to microelectronics and Quantum Information Science (QIS). In practice, that signals interest in plasma science that can contribute to areas like advanced semiconductor processing, precision fabrication, plasma-based materials engineering, or plasma-related techniques and environments that could support QIS-relevant materials, devices, or measurement/control methods. The inclusion of these areas suggests DOE is open to proposals that bridge fundamental plasma science with emerging technology-relevant research challenges, as long as the proposed work remains anchored in high-impact, fundamental plasma science and engineering questions.

From the administrative details provided, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, associated with CFDA number 81.049. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the solicitation is broadly open to applicant types permitted under DOE assistance rules rather than being limited to a narrow class of institutions. The award ceiling is $1,500,000 per award. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided listing. The opportunity was created on 2022-12-08, and the original closing date for applications was 2023-03-06.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Basic Plasma Science and Engineering" 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 2022-12-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-03-06. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0002889

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