Switzerland rejoins ITER
As part of an agreement signed by the European Union and the Swiss Confederation this month, Swiss nationals and companies will resume participation in the ITER project on 1 January 2026.
On 10 November 2025, Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, and Guy Parmelin, Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, signed an agreement that opens the way to Swiss participation in European Union programs Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, and Euratom Research & Training (R&T). These programs are part of a broader package of instruments to consolidate, deepen and expand cooperation in research and innovation.
The agreement also establishes Switzerland as a member of Fusion for Energy starting in 2026, which will allow Swiss researchers and industry to once again¹ contribute to the ITER project.
Renewed membership in Fusion for Energy, the European Domestic Agency for ITER, will make it possible for Swiss nationals to apply for ITER Organization staff positions (including ITER Project Associates and internships), for Swiss suppliers to take part in ITER Organization calls for tender and other procurement activities, and for the ITER Organization to sign agreements with Swiss partners and institutions from January 2026 forward.
Read press releases from the European Commission and the Swiss federal authorities.
¹Switzerland participated in the ITER project through the European Joint Undertaking for ITER (Fusion for Energy) from 2014 to 2020.