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Cooperation

ITER signs agreement with Russia's Kurchatov Institute

15 Jun 2026

The agreement provides for scientific exchange, the implementation of joint research programs, and the training of early career professionals.

Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of the Kurchatov Institute, and Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General, sign a cooperation agreement in Saint Petersburg on 4 June 2026 for the exchange of scientific information, the implementation of joint research programs, the training of young scientists and engineers, and the joint supervision of doctoral research.

In early June, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi was once again in Russia for an official visit. His visit program started off with participation in the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026), where he spoke at a session titled "Megascience Facilities: The New Physics of International Cooperation" that was moderated by Kurchatov Institute President Mikhail Kovalchuk.

The visit also included the signing of an agreement on academic, scientific, and technical cooperation between ITER and the Kurchatov Institute, which provides specifically for the exchange of scientific information, the implementation of joint research programs, the training of young scientists and engineers, and the joint supervision of doctoral research.

The Kurchatov Institute occupies a special place in the history of fusion research. It was there that the world's first tokamak was assembled in 1954 and where, a few years later, the term "tokamak" was coined. Kurchatov physicists Leonid Artsimovich, Igor Golovin, Natan Yavlinsky, Evgeny Velikhov, Vladimir Mukhovatov, and their colleagues played a pivotal role in the development of tokamak physics and in shaping the ITER project from its earliest stages. And as procurement packages were signed with the ITER Organization for the components that would make up the ITER machine, the Institute contributed to the development of numerous systems, including toroidal field conductors, vacuum vessel upper ports and the divertor dome, gyrotron heating systems, and diagnostics.
 
Today, the Kurchatov is one of the leading research institutions in Russia in the field of nuclear energy.

The Director-General's visit to Russia concluded with a lecture on the ITER project, followed by a ceremony at which he was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of the Kurchatov Institute.

At the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Director-General Barabaschi participates in a panel on megascience and international cooperation.
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