Of Interest archive

The annual Fusion Power Associates (FPA) award campaign seeks to celebrate excellence across the fusion landscape and contribute to building momentum towards the achievement of practical fusion energy at scale. Fusion Power Associates is now accepting nominations for the 2026 campaign in the following categories:

*FPA Distinguished Career Award - awarded to individuals who have made distinguished, lifelong, career contributions to fusion development.

*FPA Leadership Award - awarded to individuals who have shown outstanding leadership qualities in accelerating the development of fusion.

*FPA Nuno Loureiro Early Career Fusion Award – a new award honouring the memory and contributions of MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro, attributed to a young scientist or engineer who has made significant contributions to fusion research with a focus in the areas of plasma science, theory and computation. 

*FPA David J. Rose Excellence in Fusion Engineering Science Award – an award in memory of MIT Professor David J. Rose, attributed to individuals in the early part of their careers (maximum age 42) who have shown both technical accomplishments and potential for becoming an exceptionally influential leader in the fusion field. 

Winners of the FPA 2026 Awards will be honoured at the FPA annual meeting (2-3 December 2026) in Washington, DC. Information on each of the awards and links to the nomination forms can be found on the FPA Awards landing page. Nominations close on 15 September 2026.

As ITER is actively installing the first wave-producing gyrotrons of its electron cyclotron heating system, the European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy was featuring ITER technologies like launchers, gyrotrons and diagnostics in Barcelona at the 23rd Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Resonance Heating (EC-23) from 18 to 22 May.

Electron cyclotron (EC) waves will play a pivotal role in ITER, and in future fusion reactors more broadly, by providing reliable and efficient heating of the burning plasma. Achieving ITER's scientific objectives requires substantial electron cyclotron resonance heating power, making the development of high-power gyrotrons and robust wave transmission and injection systems a critical area of research and engineering.

The workshop attracted 150 international experts, the highest turnout ever for this biennial scientific event created in 1979. A strong showing from early-career professionals was also a highlight.

Since 2024, under the ITER Private Sector Fusion Engagement (PSFE) Project, private sector fusion startups from ITER Members can directly engage with the ITER Organization and access dedicated support on knowledge-sharing mechanisms through the PSFE Help Desk.

A new page on the ITER website now centralizes all available knowledge-sharing mechanisms in one place—offering clear guidance, key resources, and direct pathways to information for private sector initiatives in the ITER Members.

Explore the Private Sector Fusion Engagement Project resource page to discover current opportunities. The page will be regularly updated as new initiatives and engagement possibilities emerge.

The 15th ITER International School will be held in Chengdu, China, from 20–24 July 2026.

The deadline for pre-registration is 6 May 2026. Selected students will be informed on 11 May so that they can complete the registration process. 

This year's ITER International School will explore the physics and engineering of heating and current drive systems for magnetic fusion plasmas. The organizers of the event—the Engineering & Technical College of Chengdu University of Technology and the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP)—are accepting pre-registration now on the event website. The detailed program is also available. 

Visit the 15th ITER International School website for all information or to pre-register by 6 May.

Download the 2026 International School poster here.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has published a Global Fusion Guide to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) understand how to become a supplier for the growing fusion market.

With more than 68 private fusion companies operating globally and billions of euros expected to flow into fusion development between 2026 and 2035, the guide plans for a future where the demand for industrial systems, components, and specialist services grows substantially. This opens opportunities not only for firms already in the field of energy, but also those in engineering, robotics, advanced materials, superconducting magnets, cryogenics, digital systems, and manufacturing.

The guide, prepared with the support of Fusion Advisory Services, sets out the global fusion technology landscape, explains fusion technologies, highlights where SME capabilities align with sector needs, and provides practical routes into markets across the UK, US, Europe, and Asia. 

The Global Fusion Guide can be downloaded here.

A team of experts from leading European laboratories has produced a report that sets out the most critical physics questions that remain to resolved on the stellarator path to fusion commercialization and lists well-defined and actionable research priorities to help drive the European stellarator program forward. The report is a community-wide assessment, drawing on expertise from EUROfusion’s entire stellarator research program.

“Defining Key Physics Gaps towards a Stellarator Reactor” identifies the most critical scientific uncertainties that must be resolved to enable a stellarator-based fusion power plant. It outlines gaps in areas such as plasma confinement, fast particle behaviour, edge physics, heat exhaust, and plasma–wall interactions. Rather than reviewing current devices, the study prioritizes reactor-relevant challenges and proposes targeted research directions to close them. The outcome is a structured roadmap intended to guide future experimental, theoretical, and modelling efforts needed to make stellarator reactors a viable path to fusion energy.

See the original article on the EUROfusion website or download the report directly.

The European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy (F4E) is calling for fusion technology transfer demonstrator proposals before 31 July 2026. 

Open to European companies and research organizations, the Call for Fusion Technology Transfer Demonstrator Projects aims to support up to two projects that plan to take technology or knowhow developed under Fusion for Energy's activities to the market. Proposals should focus on use cases, market readiness and industrial value. The selected applicants will receive up to EUR 50,000 to help implement their projects. 

The call is open through 31 July 2026. See this webpage for all information.

Over a week of fine weather in April 2026, a drone captured a series of striking views of the ITER project site in southern France. Of the 180 hectares (450 acres) allocated by France to the ITER Organization in 2010, approximately half was cleared for construction; from the air, the installation appears as an island set within a sea of green. Most buildings are concentrated on the 42-hectare (100-acre) scientific platform, where the tallest structure—the Tokamak Building—is surrounded by a dense network of facilities supporting machine operation.

View or download the latest aerial photos on the Image Galleries page of the ITER website.

The European Domestic Agency for ITER, Fusion for Energy (F4E), the logistics group Daher, and the industrial river transport company CFT have received the “Green Shipper” award, recognizing the low-emission transport of ITER’s largest components across southern France’s inland sea Étang de Berre. Presented at the SITL logistics exhibition in Paris, the prize highlights the use of inland waterways as a cleaner alternative to road haulage for some of Europe’s most demanding cargo operations. 

The award concerns the movement of “Highly Exceptional Loads” (HEL)—components weighing hundreds of tonnes, such as vacuum vessel sectors and superconducting coils. These outsized pieces require bespoke trailers, reinforced infrastructure and multi-day, tightly coordinated transport operations. 

After arriving at the Mediterranean port of Fos-sur-Mer, the loads are transferred onto a specially designed barge to cross the inland sea, before continuing along the 104-km ITER itinerary by road to the construction site. A milestone—the 200th HEL shipment—will be passed in April.

See the full story on the Fusion for Energy website.

--Representatives from F4E, Daher, and CFT receiving the "Green Shipper" award from Medlink Ports at SITL Paris.

Pre-registration is open for the 15th ITER International School, which will be held in Chengdu, China, from 20–24 July 2026.

The deadline for pre-registration is 6 May 2026. Selected students will be informed on 11 of May so that they can complete the registration process. 

This year's ITER International School will explore the "Physics and engineering of heating and current drive systems for magnetic fusion plasmas." The organizers of the event—the Engineering & Technical College of Chengdu University of Technology and the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP)—have opened the webpage for pre-registration. The program for the five-day event is also consultable on the website. 

Visit the 15th ITER International School website for all information or to pre-register by 6 May.

Download the 2026 School poster here.

According to an independent study conducted for the European Domestic Agency for ITER (Fusion for Energy) by CSIL, Trinomics and Cambridge Econometrics, the European Union’s investment in fusion between 2018 and 2024 has created a strong positive impact on Europe’s economy and industrial competitiveness.

Since its creation in 2007, Fusion for Energy has invested over EUR 7 billion to provide Europe’s contribution to ITER and other international projects through more than 1,400 contracts. This has helped shaped the largest fusion supply chain in the world, with at least 2,700 companies and 75 R&D organizations involved. Besides the infrastructure and technologies delivered, the analysis shows the far-reaching benefits in terms of knowledge, growth and jobs. For instance, 66% of firms reported that their staff had acquired new skills and 77% acknowledged enhanced know-how, driven by ITER’s complex requirements. Around half of surveyed firms noted improvements to their products or processes, with some reporting patents or spin-offs towards sectors like fission, medicine or aerospace.

 See this article on the Fusion for Energy website for more analysis or download the report directly here.

Applications are open now for the 2027 EUROfusion Bernard Bigot Researcher Grants. 

These grants fund individual post-doctoral research projects for two years (beginning 2027) by contributing to the salaries, research and training activities of up to nine outstanding early career researchers. 

Researchers and engineers of all nationalities who have completed their PhD and defended their thesis in the two years preceding the application deadline are eligible. The candidate must be employed by a EUROfusion Consortium member or one of their Affiliated Entities during the grant period. Interested candidates should jointly prepare their application with an institute or institutes affiliated with EUROfusion, who will submit the application and offer to employ the candidate for the proposed duration of the project.

For details and to see all application documents, visit this EUROfusion website. The application deadline is 11 May 2026.

The 7th International Conference on Data-Driven Plasma Science (ICDDPS 7) will take place in Kiel, Germany, from 3–7 August 2026.

ICDDPS is an international conference that intends to be the premier forum for researchers from academia and industry to discuss current and future directions in Al and machine learning applied to plasma science and technology, including but not limited to topics such as plasma processing and nuclear fusion.

The conference will bring together researchers working on AI, machine learning, and data-driven approaches applied to plasma science, fusion, and plasma technologies, with a focus on the latest advances in extracting knowledge from large experimental and simulation datasets.

More information is available on the conference website. Registration is open now.

In December, timed to coincide with a state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China, students in the Chinese language section at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School (EIPACA), near ITER, decided to put their growing language skills to use. With the help of their teachers, they wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, sharing their enthusiasm for the language and describing how, in a unique international school in southern France, they are learning more each day about Chinese history and culture.

They had no way of knowing whether the letter would ever receive a reply—or even reach the president's desk.

So the surprise was considerable when a formal response arrived in March. In his letter, President Xi extended his best wishes to the students, the teachers and the entire school. He encouraged them to become “pillars of friendly cooperation” between China and France, and between China and Europe. He added that they would be welcome in China for study, exchanges or visits, and expressed the hope that the Chinese language would become their “lifelong friend.”

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School was established in 2007 to serve the needs of the ITER project, but it also benefits the local community. From the outset, its mission has been to provide bilingual education—in French plus one of the ITER languages. Currently, six language sections are offered: Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. From junior high school onward, English-speaking students may also join the European Section, where about 80 percent of courses are taught in English.

--EIPACA students and teachers from the Chinese language section.

On 28 and 29 April 2026, the ITER Organization will host its third annual Public-Private Fusion Workshop—an event dedicated to the dynamic fusion ecosystem across the ITER Members and the importance of public-private collaboration. 

Over two days at ITER, experts will present innovations in robotics, AI, fusion diagnostics, and heating technologies. Panel discussions will also address key challenges, including tritium breeding, scaling up high-temperature superconducting magnets, and progress in liquid metal wall technology.

This year’s agenda will also feature discussions on lessons learned—positive and negative—in ITER’s Engineering Basis Handbook, as well as more recent project management insights on construction and assembly. By popular request, the global fusion supply chain will again feature prominently, with fusion supplier companies showcasing their latest technologies at an exhibition on Tuesday night.

Registration for the workshop, as well as for tours and consultations, is open at this address. Scroll down to see the current program (still very much in flux and subject to change as speakers refine their proposals and private sector fusion firms refine their topics of interest).

At the second IAEA Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on 10 March, the ITER project was cited in statements by several Heads of State and Government as part of a broader discussion on research and innovation in the nuclear sector.

In his opening address, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined several priorities for the future of nuclear energy, including financing, supply chains, workforce development and research. He mentioned ITER in the context of this final theme, which focused on the role that open and innovative science should play in influencing government policy.

“I would like to pay tribute to the women and men who are bringing the ITER project to life in Cadarache, which fuels our hopes for tangible progress. We believe in these efforts and we will continue to support them. We want to continue to attract and train the best researchers in this field.”

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also referenced ITER in the context of a discussion about European funding and industrial strategy for nuclear technologies including fusion. Emphasizing that high electricity prices in Europe were a structural problem with direct consequences for industrial competitiveness, she stressed that Europe should remain a leader in next-generation nuclear technologies and highlighted recent policy changes to support the sector. 

“In the last years, we see a global revival of nuclear energy. And Europe wants to be part of it. Last year, we changed our State aid rules to expand support for nuclear fission and fuels. We launched the world's first industrial alliance for small modular reactors and proposed to invest over EUR 5 billion in our next budget on fusion research, notably through ITER.”

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of Croatia spoke of his country's plans to create the conditions for the development of a civil nuclear program, and added, “And since we must prepare tomorrow's technologies today, we are also involved in the European nuclear fusion program, especially through large projects such as ITER and DONES.”

Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Koshanov, called attention to ITER in remarks about Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the IAEA in reactor technology, radiopharmaceuticals, and fusion research.

ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi took part in a panel at the Summit titled “New Nuclear and the Role of Innovation for the Nuclear Technologies of the Future,” where he discussed ITER’s role within the evolving fusion ecosystem.

Read more about the IAEA Nuclear Energy Summit hosted in Paris here.

Following a shutdown period dedicated to the installation of an extensive set of upgrades, the joint Japan/Europe international fusion experiment JT-60SA in Naka, Japan, is now taking the progressive commissioning steps that will lead to the re-start of the device this year.  

Enhancements to JT-60SA's heating and current drive systems, in-vessel control coils, diagnostics, and plasma-facing components have positioned the device for a new experimental campaign, OP2, that is foreseen to start at the end of this year and extend into 2027. ITER representatives were recently on site in Naka to participate in the 5th Experiment Team Coordination Meeting to discuss how the new campaign can address ITER priorities. ITER Organization staff are planning to participate in experiments both on site in Japan as well as remotely. 

Read more about the JT-60SA device, which is currently the largest operational tokamak in the world.

See this related story on the European Domestic Agency (Fusion for Energy) website.

In a comprehensive new article in Nuclear Fusion, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi and colleagues outline the progress of ITER and reaffirm the project’s central role in bringing fusion energy from experimental science to industrial reality. 

After a period of restructuring, contract adjustments, and technical recovery, the project is now advancing under a revised plan known as Baseline 2024, designed as a realistic and achievable path to the first experiments, deuterium operation, and ultimately deuterium-tritium fusion with a gain of Q ≥ 10. Over the past two years, the organization has reported its strongest performance to date, maintaining schedule and cost targets while accelerating assembly and manufacturing activities. 

Major milestones include completion of all superconducting magnets, start of series production of tungsten plasma-facing components, and renewed progress in tokamak assembly following successful repairs to key elements. Large plant systems such as the cryogenic infrastructure are operating, and critical test facilities are coming on line as the project transitions from construction to integrated commissioning. 

The authors describe how, despite the emergence of new fusion actors, ITER’s mission is unchanged: to demonstrate integrated, industrial-scale fusion and provide the knowledge and technology needed for future power plants. In that sense, they argue, ITER is not competing with the expanding fusion ecosystem—it is laying its foundation. 

Barabaschi, P., Artola, F. J., Oliva, A. B., Carannante, G., Coblentz, L., Encheva, A., Giniiatulin, R., Grillot, D., Hunt, R., Jachmich, S., Kamada, Y., Kim, S., Loarte, A., Marquez, A., Merola, M., Noh, C. H., Nunes, I., Orlandi, S., Perrier, G., . . . Veltri, P. (2026). Progress of ITER and its importance for fusion development. Nuclear Fusion. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ae4d5c

The program for this summer's 15th ITER International School is now available and pre-registration is open on the event website.

Since its launch in 2007, every ITER International School has focused on a specific theme. The 15th School, to be held in Chengdu, China, from 20–24 July 2026, will explore the engineering of heating and current drive systems as well as the physics processes undergirding their use for plasma heating, current drive, and the control of plasma scenarios in ITER and other magnetic fusion devices.

The organizers of the event—the Engineering & Technical College of Chengdu University of Technology and the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP)—have now opened the webpage for pre-registration. The program for the five-day event is also consultable on the website. 

Visit the 15th ITER International School website for all information or to pre-register.

Download the 2026 School poster here.

The Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics is reporting that physicists have, for the first time, explained the sudden formation of high-confinement mode (H-mode) in tokamaks using simulations based purely on fundamental physical principles. First observed in 1982 on the ASDEX tokamak in Garching, H-mode dramatically improves plasma energy confinement and is considered essential for future fusion devices, including ITER. Yet despite decades of experimental and theoretical work, scientists had not fully understood why the transition occurs at a specific heating power.

Led by Wladimir Zholobenko, IPP researchers performed advanced “flux-driven” edge simulations with the GRILLIX code, allowing the plasma to evolve naturally as heating power increased step by step. Unlike earlier models, the transition was not imposed but emerged self-consistently from turbulence dynamics. Simulating just 50 milliseconds of plasma evolution required a year of supercomputer time.

The simulations show that after a gradual buildup of turbulence, heat transport at the plasma edge abruptly reverses. Within 100 microseconds, the characteristic H-mode pedestal—a steep pressure and temperature gradient—forms. The transition is linked to a sudden shift from drift-wave turbulence to kinetic ballooning modes, along with a rapid reorganization of microscopic fluctuations. The model even predicts a brief inward heat flow before transport stabilizes.

Based on conditions from ASDEX Upgrade, the simulation shows that it reproduces exactly those effects that can also be observed in experimental results. However, the researchers have not yet been able to achieve satisfactory quantitative agreement—in other words, the actual measurements from ASDEX Upgrade are either above or below the simulated results.“We haven't reached our goal yet, but the simulations provide insight into what is still missing,” says Dr Zholobenko. The aim is to end up with a simulation model that can predict the experimental parameters at which H-mode occurs in fusion facilities that have not yet been built.

The findings were published in Physical Review Letters. 

See the original report on the IPP website.