Fusion Forum Germany at ITER
On the first day, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi presented the current state of the project and took his time to discuss technical issues, lessons learned and the planned approach towards ITER operation. Presentations were also made by representatives of German startups Proxima Fusion, Focused Energy and Marvel Fusion.
The second day was dedicated to fusion financing, for example asking how private equity might support fusion technology development. Much attention was paid to the presentation given by the representative of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Science, Peter Schroth, who explained Germany's roadmap "to making fusion a reality." In September 2023, Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger had announced more than EUR 1 billion (USD 1.1 billion) for fusion research over the next five years, targeted both to magnetic confinement and laser fusion concepts. The announcement followed the publication of a position paper describing the framework conditions under which a fusion power plant could become reality as quickly as possible. Calls for proposals will open as soon as the German government comes to an agreement on the budget for 2024. "These are challenging but also exciting times," Schroth concluded.
Presentations have been uploaded here: www.filo.kit.edu