First Light Fusion, a British fusion energy startup, was awarded a GBP 6 million (~USD 7.4 million) grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to launch its new Prosperity Partnership. The funding will be matched by First Light, bringing the total program value to GBP 12 million (~USD 14.8 million).

The five-year Prosperity Partnership will sponsor research at First Light and focus on the key physics questions specific to inertial fusion, which theorizes producing energy through compressing a target of fusion fuel using a hypervelocity projectile. 

Furthermore, research will be conducted in collaboration with Imperial College London and other research partners, including the Universities of Oxford and York, and the Oxford spin-off, Machine Discovery.

Analyst QuickTake: In April 2022 , First Light Fusion achieved the world’s first fusion result generated using projectile technology. As the next step, First Light plans to develop a “gain” experiment, where the amount of energy created exceeds the amount of energy consumed to spark the reaction. Most recently in January 2023 , First Light partnered with Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to design and construct a new facility to house First Light’s Machine 4 at UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire. While Machine 4 will not be generating power, it will be used to develop the technology needed for future inertial confinement fusion energy power plants.