The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is putting $15 million into the future of particle accelerators. The money will fund 14 different research projects to make the traditionally massive machines better, smaller, and more useful for everyone.

“Particle accelerators are machines that produce and accelerate beams of charged particles, such as electrons, protons, and ions, of atomic and sub-atomic size,” the International Atomic Energy Agency states. 

Particle accelerators create specialized beams of light and particles, and are used by thousands of researchers. They also help produce over $500 billion in goods every year and treat more than 5 million cancer patients annually. With that being said, it’s pretty clear why the nation would award this scientific sector millions of dollars.

What’s Being Funded

The DOE Office of Science Accelerator Stewardship and Accelerator Development programs are handling the funds. The selected projects pull together scientists from 29 U.S. institutions. That includes 14 universities, 8 National Laboratories, and 7 private companies working side by side.

Together, these groups are tackling big problems across medicine, industry, the environment, and national security. Some teams will work on speeding up cancer treatments. Others are building automated accelerator systems for security checks. A few groups will focus on laser technology, beam physics, and new types of superconductors.

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Advancing Particle Accelerators

An illustration of a particle accelerator; Photo: Ralf Juergen Kraft/Shutterstock

Part of the funding focuses on manufacturing key hardware right here in the U.S. Public and private groups will collaborate to support American suppliers that make superconducting wire, cable, and RF cavities.

Every single project was selected through a competitive peer-review process under the “DOE Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for FY2026 Research Opportunities in Accelerator Stewardship and Accelerator Development”.

The total funding comes out to $15 million, and projects can last up to three years. All the awards are fully forward-funded, meaning the teams get their money up front to get straight to work.