ITER in France
ITER will be built adjacent to the CEA Cadarache research centre where an outstanding scientific environment and technical infrastructure is already in place, including the Tore-Supra Tokamak and centre for fusion research. This site in Southern France was chosen for the ITER project in June 2005 by the seven ITER Members. CEA Cadarache has ambitions to become a major actor in alternative energies in the next decades; by welcoming the world's largest fusion experiment, it will clearly reinforce its position as a scientific and technological hub. The ITER project will have a major impact on both the national and regional economy of France.
France has created a number of special bodies to honour its engagements as Host country that are described below. Follow the links to French-language websites for further information.
Agence ITER France

The Welcome Office. Photo: Agence ITER France.
Agence ITER France has been responsible since 2007 for site preparation, including clearing, levelling, and auxiliary works such as the instauration of water supply and electrical networks. Agence ITER France will oversee the construction of the ITER Headquarters and Visitors' Centre which is to take place over the next three years.
The Agency manages the French contribution to the ITER project — both in-kind and financial — and will ultimately be in charge of site decommissioning. Agence ITER France is in permanent contact with the different organizations involved in the ITER project: ITER Organization in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance; the European Domestic Agency - Fusion for Energy - that will be overseeing the construction of all scientific buildings and facilities; and Mission ITER.
The ITER Organization is expected to grow to a peak of 1000 employees during its operational phase. Agence ITER France provides welcoming services to those arriving from abroad; aiding the employees and their families to settle in the region.
Agence ITER France also publishes a bi-monthly newsletter entitled Interfaces.
The French State

ITER Itinerary work along the Canal de Provence.
Actions for ITER in France are coordinated through several administrative bodies. The
ITER Industrial Committee seeks to optimize economic consequences for the region by fostering relations between ITER and local industry, particularly during the construction and assembly phases of the project.
Scientific training toward a career in fusion is promoted through an association of ten universities and schools of engineering that now offer a Master's degree in 'The Science of Fusion'. The
High Representative for ITER in France coordinates the realization of the ITER project in France, and ensures the representation of France to the ITER Members, the European Domestic Agency for ITER and the ITER Organization. And finally, from 2005-2010 the Mission ITER, now dissolved, was in charge of adapting regional infrastructure to the project's needs, including the ITER Itinerary public works and the construction of the new International School of Manosque.
Further information in French is available at the following links:
ITER in Provence
The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, comprising six departments in the southeast corner of France, is at the crossroads of maritime and Alpine influences. Pleasant climate, rich historical vestiges, hilltop villages, world-renowned cuisine - all of these advantages contribute to making Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur one of the most-visited and most-loved regions of France. The
Welcome Office at Agence ITER France provides a full range of relocation services for ITER employees who are new to the area.
International School

The entrance to the International School of Manosque, October 2009. Photo: ISM
For international scientists and project administrators relocating to the area with their families, France has committed to providing bilingual education from nursery through secondary school. The program is open to ITER families as well as to local children interested in an international curriculum.
The International School of Manosque (ISM) began operating out of temporary housing in 2007 for 130 students; enrollment is currently at 299. Classes are taught half in French and half in one of ten ITER languages: Chinese, English, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Work is progressing rapidly on the future International School buildings in Manosque. Financed by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Council, the new school opened to primary school-aged children in the fall of 2009, and will be ready for secondary school students in the fall of 2010.