Of Interest archive

Originally filmed on site at ITER in May 2025, this video has been updated with new footage of the tokamak pit from December (1:14–2:12). A third of the ITER plasma chamber is now in place, and the installation of a fourth sector is imminent. Fly above, and into, the modules of the ITER vacuum vessel, or—if you haven't already seen it—watch the rest of the video to see how the ITER machine and plant are coming together on a 180-hectare site in southern France.

See the updated video on the ITER YouTube channel.

The final design review has been completed and manufacturing of Europe’s first ITER gyrotrons is set to begin. This marks another key milestone for the Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) system that will be used to heat the ITER plasma to more than 100 million degrees Celsius and sustain fusion reactions.

Gyrotrons essentially convert electricity into high-frequency microwaves that will transfer energy to plasma electrons once injected into the tokamak. Initially, there were plans for 24 gyrotrons at ITER and the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy, was responsible for supplying six of them through a contract with Thales. However, when the new baseline was introduced in 2024, the number of gyrotrons was increased to 48 at the Start of Research Operation phase, with another 24 scheduled to be added once deuterium-tritium testing begins. With the wider use of gyrotrons, Europe will produce more units.

Learn more about the preparations for gyrotron manufacturing here.

(Pictured is work on the gyrotron prototype done in 2022.) 

Under the editorial lead of EUROfusion, the ITER Engineering Basis Handbook delivers a stand-alone compilation of ITER design principles, the underlying technical design basis and its evolution from conception to construction, together with the technical, scientific, and regulatory rationale behind the major decisions. It facilitates the access and understanding of the project’s technological journey by consolidating the information from a multitude of sources. It aims at securing the lessons learned, the return of experience, and the knowledge transfer from the world's largest fusion project, drawing from the direct experience of knowledgeable experts who have worked on ITER, for the benefit of fusion professionals inside and outside of the ITER project and the next generation.

See the first chapters of Volume 1, "Genesis, Design and Evolution" on the ITER Technical Reports pages of the public website.
 

The third ITER Public-Private Fusion Workshop will be organized on 28 and 29 April 2026 at the ITER site in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France.

For the past two years, ITER has opened its doors to private sector fusion companies for joint workshops on areas of mutual interest and mechanisms for positive engagement. This year’s theme—“Fusion: a Joint Quest”—reflects the reality that progress toward fusion energy is neither linear nor uniform, but pursued through multiple technical approaches, institutional models, and timelines. Across public and private efforts alike, divergent visions coexist with genuinely complementary strengths—in science, engineering, manufacturing, and systems integration.

The two-day workshop will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday (28 and 29 April), with Monday 27 April and Thursday 30 April set aside for consultations with ITER experts, tailored tours of the ITER worksite, and interactions among participants. Registration will open soon on the Events page of the ITER website.

Recruitment opened on Monday 12 January 2026 for eight Postdoctoral Fellowships at the ITER Organization.

If you are an outstanding PhD graduate in science, technology, and engineering whose expertise aligns with the needs of the ITER project, you may be eligible for a two-year postdoctoral position at the ITER Organization, where you will work closely with ITER specialists and contribute to the project through original research.

The eight Postdoctoral Fellowships are proposed through two different funding schemes: 

Monaco/ITER Postdoctoral Fellowships (5 positions)
The Principality of Monaco is providing the financing for five Postdoctoral Fellowships through a Partnership Arrangement signed with the ITER Organization in 2008 and renewed in 2018. You can apply to a Monaco/ITER Postdoctoral Fellowship if: 1) you are a national of China, the European Union plus Switzerland, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, the United States, or the Principality of Monaco; and 2) your PhD was awarded after 1 January 2023 (or you will have received your PhD before 31 December 2026).

Korea-ITER Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (3 positions)
Through an agreement signed between the ITER Organization and the Korean Domestic Agency, ITER Korea directly funds scientific or technical fellowships in fields of mutual interest and with a view to contributing to training the talent that will be needed for the fusion industry of the future. To apply for a Korea-ITER Postdoctoral Research Fellowship you must be a Korean postdoctoral researcher.

The application process for both Fellowship categories is the same: after verifying that you have relevant experience in one or more of the 2026 research topics, apply by 1 March 2026 through the ITER Jobs portal.

See this ITER webpage for more information. 

The fifth campaign of spherical tokamak fusion experiments is underway at the MAST Upgrade facility at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in England. This latest campaign will focus on advancing understanding of high-pressure fusion plasma, optimising plasma control and energy confinement, refining advanced divertor designs for heat exhaust management, and validating predictive tools used to model plasma behaviour in future fusion power plants.

The Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) Upgrade, which became operational in 2020, is the world’s largest active spherical tokamak. Its test campaigns will inform the construction of the STEP demo-class fusion plant prototype that is scheduled to begin operations in 2040.

The latest research phase will last six months and involve 950 plasma pulses. More than 200 international researchers will be involved in the experiments and the results will contribute to the growing global body of experimental fusion data.

The 360° virtual tour of the ITER construction site has been updated with a new set of photos—drone footage from December 2025 that shows three vacuum vessel sector modules in the tokamak pit. Click on and rotate the new photos in the Tokamak Pit gallery to see one-third of the ITER plasma chamber from every angle.

Accessible from the NEWS & MEDIA pages of the ITER website or by clicking on the link below, the 2D tour requires no special equipment to enjoy. If you do have 3D glasses, click on the yellow goggle symbol at the top of any screen.

Click here to see the latest 360° ITER virtual tour.

The EU Fusion Safety and Regulation Course 2026, organized by the Clean Air Task Force in partnership with the Xcitech School on Science and Technology, offers professionals an opportunity to learn from leading experts—including specialists from the ITER Organization—about safety and regulatory considerations for fusion facilities. The three-day course will also cover important safety topics that apply to lab-scale fusion research today such as tritium handling and management of cryogenic systems.

Topics include case studies in safety and licensing in multiple facilities across Europe, the latest developments in the regulatory landscape in Europe and the United States, tritium safety and management, activated material safety and activated waste management, and safety practices at lab-scale fusion facilities and major accelerator facilities.

The course will take place at the headquarters of Fusion for Energy in Barcelona, Spain, 17 to 19 February 2026. Learn more here.