In 2025, photographers found an endless source of inspiration in ITER

The prize-winning Turkmenistan team from the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) arrived at ITER on 18 December for a special presentation of the project and tour of the site.

The visit was part of the ITER-sponsored prize given for diversity at the IPhO, with Turkmenistan being the best-ranked team that had at least two women and two men. 

The IPhO is open to students under the age of 20 who have not yet entered university. The Turkmenistan team featured Nurgeldi Annagurdov (17), Dovlet Annamyradov (17), and the sisters Aysenem Kakamyradova (17) and Mahriban Kakamyradova (18). Along with being part of the team that won the ITER prize, Aysenem Kakamyradova also won the Claudine Hermann Prize for best female performance.

The delegation from Turkmenistan included the students’ high school teacher, Kerim Cherkezov, and their physics advisor, Allamyrat Amanmadov of Turkmen State University.

While on site, the team received special diplomas of recognition from ITER Deputy Director General Luo Delong and a private presentation of the ITER project given by ITER’s Deputy Director General-Chief Scientist Alain Bécoulet and Alexander Alekseev, the Deputy Head of Science & Integration. Alain Bécoulet said these sorts of initiatives to recognize emerging talent were essential for ITER. “They are 17 and 18 years old. They are the future of fusion.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a new platform that will serve as a central hub for information on the fusion sector.

IAEA’s FUSE Fusion CONNECT platform was officially launched on 4 December 2025. It aims to make it easier for IAEA’s 180 member states to follow developments in the fusion sector and access tools such as the Fusion Portal and the Nuclear Fusion journal. The platform is also in the process of compiling a public directory of fusion organizations and machines.

The IAEA noted that the momentum in fusion energy—from record-breaking achievements in the public sector to the thriving private sector—meant that collaborative tools such as FUSE are more important than ever.

Discover the FUSE page here.

In a continuation of the merriest of traditions, ITER has released its annual holiday greeting card. This year, the card was designed by Natacha Roux and Philippe Cathala of IN-MEDIAPROD, who sought to give the video card an original twist by using AI tools to virtually decorate the Assembly Building and other ITER locations.

“We wanted to do something extraordinary this year and since artificial intelligence is everywhere now, we thought we could apply it to the card,” says Natacha.

You can enjoy their creation here.

Over the years, the ITER holiday card has evolved from a simple e-card to more elaborate video productions such as the 2019 card or the 2023 card.

FuseNet has opened nominations for its Master Thesis Prize 2025. The prize is open to students who completed fusion-related theses in 2025 and recognizes outstanding academic work carried out at European institutions or in collaboration with international partners.

Eligible candidates can submit their candidatures until 9 February 2026. FuseNet advises students to coordinate with their home institution before submitting, as each FuseNet member institution may put forward only one nomination.

The 2024 prize recognized three researchers for their theses on divertor modelling, turbulence phenomena in plasmas with varying triangularity, and dimensionality reduction methods applied to magnetohydrodynamic equilibria.

FuseNet supports education, training, and collaboration for students and young researchers in the field of fusion energy across Europe.

More information available here.