THIS COMPETITIVE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ENTITLED, “COMPOSITED LOW-ACTIVATION UHTC MATERIALS FOR FIRST WALL APPLICATIONS” IS AWARDED RECIPIENT UNDER ARPA-E FOA NUMBER DE-FOA-0003240(CREATING HARDENED AND DURABLE FUSION FIRST WALL INCORPORATING CENTRALIZED KNOWLEDGE (CHADWICK) AND CONTROL 3420-1526. THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO INVESTIGATE FIRST WALL MATERIALS, WHETHER THE ARMOR OF MAGNETIC (MFE) OR INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION (ICF) SYSTEMS, ENDURE SIMILAR OPERATING CONDITIONS AND CHALLENGES TO LONG-TERM SURVIVAL. IN RESPONSE TO THESE CHALLENGES THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS FOLLOWED A RELATIVELY UNIFIED AND LOGICAL MATERIALS AND COMPONENT DEVELOPMENT PATH, ATTEMPTING TO CREATE SIMULTANEOUSLY HIGH CONDUCTIVITY, TOUGH, RADIATION AND EROSION-RESISTANT PLASMA FACING MATERIALS (PFMS) THAT ARE BONDED TO STRUCTURAL HEAT SINK MATERIALS. THE TEAM WILL FOCUS EFFORTS ON BOTH INTRINSIC MEANS OF MATERIAL TOUGHENING AND EXTRINSIC OR “COMPOSITE” TOUGHENING TO ACHIEVE DETERMINED DESIGN GOALS. WORKING WITH BOTH COMMERCIAL CERAMIC FABRICATORS AND FUSION DEVICE VENTURES OUR TEAM WILL ACTIVELY SCALE THIS UHTC COMPOSITE TILE TECHNOLOGY TO PRACTICAL APPLICATION.