The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will appoint an ad hoc committee that will assess the status and effectiveness of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development (MBFD) Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). As part of this assessment, the committee will identify and evaluate:
1. Essential Characteristics, Benefits, And Drawbacks: Describe the essential attributes of the MBFD Program, how the MBFD model differs from traditional program structure funding models at the DOE, and core benefits and drawbacks of an MBFD-type Program in the context of developing a competitive U.S. fusion energy industry.
2. Impacts and Lessons Learned: With specific attention to barriers and constraints as well as to advantages and catalysts, describe key impacts that the MBFD Program has had on fusion development. Discuss lessons learned by key contributors, including (but not limited to) DOE staff, public-private partnership members, fusion investors, and DOE MBFD awardee participants.
The committee will prepare a report with prioritized findings, conclusions, and recommendations that provide strategies for consideration by DOE to overcome issues the report has identified as impeding timely introduction of reliable fusion power to the U.S. electrical grid.