An annual conference and summer student programs will foster partnerships among academia, national labs, and the private sector.
The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) has been awarded a $2.25 million grant over three years from the US Department of Energy’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. This funding establishes the Inertial Fusion Energy Science and Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR) ecosystem that brings together academia, national laboratories, and the private sector to develop a clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy source, built on US leadership in inertial fusion.
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) is a cutting-edge technology that mimics the sun’s energy production process by fusing atomic nuclei under extreme conditions. Unlike traditional nuclear energy, IFE offers the promise of base-load energy with minimal radioactive waste, and a nearly limitless fuel supply. To more rapidly advance the nation’s path to fusion energy, the IFE-STAR ecosystem will advance fusion science and technology by building a national network of coordination and collaboration, while developing the scientists and engineers to grow and sustain the inertial fusion energy community.
The IFE-STAR program brings together three leading research institutions, each spearheading a unique hub to advance IFE science and technology:
LLE’s IFE Consortium on Laser-Plasma Interaction Research (IFE-COLoR) hub
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Science and Technology Accelerated Research (STARFIRE) hub
Colorado State University’s Research in Inertial and Sustainable Energy (RISE) hub
These hubs will leverage their expertise and resources to address critical challenges in IFE development, from target physics to driver technologies. In addition to the individual hubs, the overall ecosystem is envisioned to be inclusive of all current and future viable IFE concepts.
IFE-STAR aims to address critical objectives in IFE development, including:
Advancing IFE science and technology
Enhancing coordination and collaboration among researchers
Developing a diverse and skilled workforce
Creating an online platform for information sharing and resource allocation
“By uniting world-leading researchers and institutions, we aim to accelerate the development of a new energy industry that could revolutionize our approach to clean, sustainable power,” says Christopher Deeney, the director of LLE.
Shaping the future of fusion energy research
This year the initiative will launch an annual conference and a summer undergraduate research experience for developing a fusion-ready workforce.
The IFE-STAR program will host its inaugural conference April 7 to 11, 2025, in Breckenridge, Colorado. This event brings together leading researchers from around the world to discuss the latest advancements and challenges in IFE development.