Application Process

Use the proposal-type-specific template to prepare your proposal. The main proposal, excluding references and appendices, must be 6 pages. Additionally, you are strongly encouraged to complete the appendices for the tentative research team, technical parameter table, and target support request.

To learn more about the available facilities and diagnostics, please visit our Facilities page. This page offers detailed information about each facility, including its capabilities, available diagnostics, and facility representatives’ contact information. Additionally, attending the Town Hall hosted by the Facility Points of Contact (POCs) each cycle is the best way to get this information quickly. Below, you will find specific changes from the previous cycle.

If your proposal is similar to a previous one (whether declined or awarded), you will be asked for a brief summary of changes or progress update in the LaserNetUS Proposal Details survey.

Each proposal is for one specific experiment, with the option to designate a first and second choice for a facility. The Proposal Review Panel (PRP) will rank the proposal for the primary facility and consider it for the secondary facility if it was not competitive for the primary facility. If not competitive at either, an alternative facility may be recommended.

Specify safety-related details in the LaserNetUS Initial Safety Screening survey during the proposal submission process. List and describe any safety concerns related to samples, equipment, or techniques and how these issues will be addressed.

There is no cost to submit proposals or conduct experiments at participating institutions. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (DOE-FES) provides experiment time at LaserNetUS facilities free of charge, but users are generally responsible for their own travel, target expenses, and hardware required by the experiment. While most of our users fund their experiments through larger research grants, limited funds are available to Principal Investigators (PIs). The LaserNetUS Users Office will contact PIs of shortlisted experiments to apply for travel and Materials and Supplies (M&S) mini-grants.

Proposals may address broader problems than a single experiment can cover. All proposals must be resubmitted for peer review each cycle. Without sufficient progress information (e.g., data dissemination, publications), the PRP may postpone consideration until a future cycle.

The PRP will consider the applicant’s publication record from prior LaserNetUS facility times. Failure to publish on time could impact the chances of a successful application in a similar area.

Proposals can be resubmitted at each call, but this will not happen automatically, and resubmissions will not receive preference during the review process.

Multiple submissions from the same team for similar experiments at different LaserNetUS facilities will not be considered. While there is no limit to the number of distinct proposals a team can submit, the PRP may favor the first-best proposal from each team.

Proposal teams must acknowledge the host institution and DOE Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences in presentations and publications using the following boilerplate language: “This work was supported by the U.S. DOE Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences under Contract No. [LaserNetUS contract number from facility]: the LaserNetUS initiative at [Facility],” and any other acknowledgments required by the host institution.