The Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces its interest in receiving grant applications for support under its Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Award Program (formerly named the Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development Program). Applications should be from tenure-track faculty investigators and should be submitted through a U.S. academic institution. The purpose of this program is to support the development of the individual research programs of exceptionally talented researchers early in their careers.

LETTER OF INTENT DUE DATE: September 4, 2008

A Letter of Intent (LOI), including information on collaborators and a one-page summary of the proposed research, is required and should be submitted by September 4, 2008. Failure to submit a Letter of Intent by an applicant may preclude the full application from due consideration. The Letter of Intent referencing Funding Opportunity Announcement
DE-PS02-08ER08-26, should be sent electronically by e-mail to
Mr. John Sauter at: john.sauter@science.doe.gov, with a copy to
Dr. Darlene Markevich at: darlene.markevich@science.doe.gov. Please include the phrase "Junior Faculty Letter of Intent" in the subject line of the e-mail.

The purpose of the Letter of Intent (LOI) is to facilitate the OFES in planning the peer review and the selection of potential reviewers for the application. For this purpose, the LOI must include a one-page abstract of the proposed research and list the names and institutional affiliations of Principal Investigators, any Co-Principal Investigators, key investigators, collaborators or consultants, so as to identify any potential conflict of interest in the selection of qualified reviewers for the application.

APPLICATION DUE DATE: October 7, 2008, 8:00 PM Eastern Time

Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov, the Funding Opportunity Announcement can be found using the CFDA Number, 81.049 or the Funding Opportunity Announcement number, DE-PS02-08ER08-26. Applicants must follow the instructions and use the forms provided on Grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Darlene Markevich, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, SC-24.2
PHONE: 301-903-4920
E-MAIL: darlene.markevich@science.doe.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development Program (now named the Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Award Program) was started in Fiscal Year 1997. A principal goal of this program is to identify exceptionally talented faculty members early in their careers in plasma physics and to assist and facilitate the development of their research programs. Eligibility for awards under this notice is, therefore, restricted to tenure-track regular academic faculty investigators. Those Junior Faculty members presently holding career development awards will not be considered under this announcement.

Applications from Junior Faculty involved in any area of basic plasma physics research are welcomed and encouraged. The proposed research must focus on fundamental plasma physics issues, as opposed to applications of plasma physics. In determining awards among closely ranked applications, preference will be given to those applications whose proposed research is the most relevant to the current research interests of OFES. (Please refer to the Fusion Energy Sciences section of the current Office of Science, "Continuing Solicitation for all Office of Science Programs Notice DE-PS02-08ER08-01," for information on the fusion program research interests at: http://www.science.doe.gov/grants/.) For applications to be considered for funding, certification of the status of the applicant as a tenure-track regular academic faculty member by the head of the applicant's academic department or other university/college certifying official will be required before the grant is awarded. Awards made under this program will help to maintain the vitality of university plasma physics research and ensure continued excellence in the teaching of plasma physics and related disciplines.

Program Funding

It is anticipated that a total of up to $555,000 will be available in Fiscal Year 2009 for funding the program. Annual funding levels up to $185,000 per award may be made available for grants under this notice with a project period starting late in Fiscal Year 2009, contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. Funding above this level (typically for equipment) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The number of awards during Fiscal Year 2009 will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds. Multiple- year funding of grant awards is expected, with funding provided on an annual basis subject to availability of funds, progress of the research, and continuing program need. The usual duration of these grants is three years and they will not be renewed under the Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Award Program after the project period is completed. It is anticipated that at the end of the grant period, grantees will submit new grant applications to continue their research to the Department of Energy or other Federal funding agencies. DOE reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications submitted.

For further submission information please see the full version of this notice, DE-PS02-08ER08-26, located at: http://www.grants.gov/

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 605.

Posted on the Office of Science Grants and Contracts Web Site
July 22, 2008.