Why the world comes to ITER

For more than a decade, visitors have come from across the globe to learn more about fusion energy and to witness the scale and complexity of one of the world's most ambitious scientific collaborations firsthand.

The audience is remarkably diverse. Government officials, industry leaders, researchers, expert groups, media representatives, students, and members of the general public all seek to better understand the project and the potential contribution of fusion to the energy mix of the future. 

Accommodating this sustained level of interest is a dedicated team within ITER Communication that works throughout the year to organize access for visitors while ensuring that construction, assembly, and operational activities can continue uninterrupted. 

Programs are tailored to the interests and expertise of different audiences and no two visits are exactly alike. A group of university students specializing in plasma physics, for example, may meet directly with ITER scientists and engineers, while the program for government delegations will focus more on project governance, international cooperation, and progress toward key milestones.

"The needs of each group are different," explains Kirsten Haupt, who manages the ITER visit program. "Our objective is to provide meaningful access to the project while ensuring that visitors gain a deeper understanding of fusion energy and ITER's mission."

Delivering that experience requires close collaboration across the organization. Site access conditions evolve continually as construction and assembly activities progress, and visit schedules must be coordinated with numerous technical and operational teams.

It’s all about teamwork

While some visits are organized directly by the Office of the Director-General, Agence Iter France, or individual ITER departments, the public visit program remains a significant undertaking. In 2025 alone, approximately 12,000 public visitors came to the site, and more than 500 separate visits were organized.

The program relies on a small core team supported by a large network of volunteer guides drawn from across the organization.

Since taking over the management of the public visit program in 2019, Haupt has substantially extended the roster of guides within the organization that her team can call on for assistance and, today, more than 200 volunteers contribute to the program. They include physicists, engineers, project managers, administrative professionals, and finance specialists who help deliver presentations, answer questions, and share insights into their areas of expertise. All volunteers receive training on organizational and safety requirements.

Haupt calls the volunteers “an essential part of the program,” with benefits that cut both ways. Visitors gain direct access to experts working on the project, while volunteers have opportunities to engage with audiences from around the world and develop a broader perspective on ITER's many activities.

Visits in 2025

In 2025, ITER welcomed 19,444 visitors. Although total attendance was down slightly year-on-year, the number of visits increased by 8%, reflecting growing demand for smaller, more specialized group visits. Requests for VIP, school, and media visits are all on the rise. 

ITER hosted delegations from every ITER Member, including a high-profile visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The program also supported several large-scale events that brought hundreds of people onto the worksite such as Open Doors Days, the second ITER Public-Private Fusion Workshop (a third took place this spring), and the ITER Business Forum.

Since the start of 2026, the number of visits is already outpacing 2025 numbers by 10%.

A visit to ITER offers a rare opportunity to witness the development of fusion energy at industrial scale and to engage directly with the people working to make it a reality. If you are interested in visiting the ITER project, see this ITER webpage.