# Focused Energy completes first milestones on US fusion programme

_Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Focused Energy completes first milestones on US fusion programme — Primary](https://world-nuclear-news.org/images/articles/Focused_Energy_730_25675.jpg)

Focused Energy said it has completed its first science and technology milestones under the U.S. Department of Energy milestone-based fusion development programme. The company announced the achievement in a statement. The DOE selected eight fusion companies in May 2023 to share $46 million to advance designs and research for fusion power plants with the goal of resolving scientific and technological challenges for a pilot plant within five to 10 years. Focused Energy, a spin-off of the University of Darmstadt and National Energetics based in Germany and the United States, uses a focused proton beam to ignite millimeter-scale deuterium-tritium fuel targets. The completed milestones include a design report and a successful experiment at the Laboratory for Advanced Laser for Extreme Photonics at Colorado State University to measure and optimize laser-generated proton focusing. The company also tested the ability to produce and align targets at high repetition rates using its in-house target laboratory. CEO Scott Mercer said the team has taken a meaningful step toward answering design and engineering questions needed to improve gain and develop a workable design for fusion fuel targets. The other seven companies in the programme are Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Princeton Stellarators, Realta Fusion, Tokamak Energy, Type One Energy Group, Xcimer Energy and Zap Energy.

## Sources

- [world-nuclear-news](https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/focused-energy-completes-first-milestones-on-us-fusion-programme?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_AsPCJh71Pjh7RKjR07m3ih_CijKYX7t5CIGuHfGyav3YretRpFoQ6WIm33HrN_axedPcr)

---
Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/NxB4cXj9QI9np5AosTNfqy
Retrieved: 2026-07-14T19:30:17.733Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)