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According to an independent study conducted for the European Domestic Agency for ITER (Fusion for Energy) by CSIL, Trinomics and Cambridge Econometrics, the European Union’s investment in fusion between 2018 and 2024 has created a strong positive impact on Europe’s economy and industrial competitiveness.

Since its creation in 2007, Fusion for Energy has invested over EUR 7 billion to provide Europe’s contribution to ITER and other international projects through more than 1,400 contracts. This has helped shaped the largest fusion supply chain in the world, with at least 2,700 companies and 75 R&D organizations involved. Besides the infrastructure and technologies delivered, the analysis shows the far-reaching benefits in terms of knowledge, growth and jobs. For instance, 66% of firms reported that their staff had acquired new skills and 77% acknowledged enhanced know-how, driven by ITER’s complex requirements. Around half of surveyed firms noted improvements to their products or processes, with some reporting patents or spin-offs towards sectors like fission, medicine or aerospace.

 See this article on the Fusion for Energy website for more analysis or download the report directly here.

Applications are open now for the 2027 EUROfusion Bernard Bigot Researcher Grants. 

These grants fund individual post-doctoral research projects for two years (beginning 2027) by contributing to the salaries, research and training activities of up to nine outstanding early career researchers. 

Researchers and engineers of all nationalities who have completed their PhD and defended their thesis in the two years preceding the application deadline are eligible. The candidate must be employed by a EUROfusion Consortium member or one of their Affiliated Entities during the grant period. Interested candidates should jointly prepare their application with an institute or institutes affiliated with EUROfusion, who will submit the application and offer to employ the candidate for the proposed duration of the project.

For details and to see all application documents, visit this EUROfusion website. The application deadline is 11 May 2026.

The 7th International Conference on Data-Driven Plasma Science (ICDDPS 7) will take place in Kiel, Germany, from 3–7 August 2026.

ICDDPS is an international conference that intends to be the premier forum for researchers from academia and industry to discuss current and future directions in Al and machine learning applied to plasma science and technology, including but not limited to topics such as plasma processing and nuclear fusion.

The conference will bring together researchers working on AI, machine learning, and data-driven approaches applied to plasma science, fusion, and plasma technologies, with a focus on the latest advances in extracting knowledge from large experimental and simulation datasets.

More information is available on the conference website. Registration is open now.

In December, timed to coincide with a state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China, students in the Chinese language section at the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School (EIPACA), near ITER, decided to put their growing language skills to use. With the help of their teachers, they wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, sharing their enthusiasm for the language and describing how, in a unique international school in southern France, they are learning more each day about Chinese history and culture.

They had no way of knowing whether the letter would ever receive a reply—or even reach the president's desk.

So the surprise was considerable when a formal response arrived in March. In his letter, President Xi extended his best wishes to the students, the teachers and the entire school. He encouraged them to become “pillars of friendly cooperation” between China and France, and between China and Europe. He added that they would be welcome in China for study, exchanges or visits, and expressed the hope that the Chinese language would become their “lifelong friend.”

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School was established in 2007 to serve the needs of the ITER project, but it also benefits the local community. From the outset, its mission has been to provide bilingual education—in French plus one of the ITER languages. Currently, six language sections are offered: Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. From junior high school onward, English-speaking students may also join the European Section, where about 80 percent of courses are taught in English.

--EIPACA students and teachers from the Chinese language section.

On 28 and 29 April 2026, the ITER Organization will host its third annual Public-Private Fusion Workshop—an event dedicated to the dynamic fusion ecosystem across the ITER Members and the importance of public-private collaboration. 

Over two days at ITER, experts will present innovations in robotics, AI, fusion diagnostics, and heating technologies. Panel discussions will also address key challenges, including tritium breeding, scaling up high-temperature superconducting magnets, and progress in liquid metal wall technology.

This year’s agenda will also feature discussions on lessons learned—positive and negative—in ITER’s Engineering Basis Handbook, as well as more recent project management insights on construction and assembly. By popular request, the global fusion supply chain will again feature prominently, with fusion supplier companies showcasing their latest technologies at an exhibition on Tuesday night.

Registration for the workshop, as well as for tours and consultations, is open at this address. Scroll down to see the current program (still very much in flux and subject to change as speakers refine their proposals and private sector fusion firms refine their topics of interest).

At the second IAEA Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on 10 March, the ITER project was cited in statements by several Heads of State and Government as part of a broader discussion on research and innovation in the nuclear sector.

In his opening address, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined several priorities for the future of nuclear energy, including financing, supply chains, workforce development and research. He mentioned ITER in the context of this final theme, which focused on the role that open and innovative science should play in influencing government policy.

“I would like to pay tribute to the women and men who are bringing the ITER project to life in Cadarache, which fuels our hopes for tangible progress. We believe in these efforts and we will continue to support them. We want to continue to attract and train the best researchers in this field.”

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also referenced ITER in the context of a discussion about European funding and industrial strategy for nuclear technologies including fusion. Emphasizing that high electricity prices in Europe were a structural problem with direct consequences for industrial competitiveness, she stressed that Europe should remain a leader in next-generation nuclear technologies and highlighted recent policy changes to support the sector. 

“In the last years, we see a global revival of nuclear energy. And Europe wants to be part of it. Last year, we changed our State aid rules to expand support for nuclear fission and fuels. We launched the world's first industrial alliance for small modular reactors and proposed to invest over EUR 5 billion in our next budget on fusion research, notably through ITER.”

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of Croatia spoke of his country's plans to create the conditions for the development of a civil nuclear program, and added, “And since we must prepare tomorrow's technologies today, we are also involved in the European nuclear fusion program, especially through large projects such as ITER and DONES.”

Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Koshanov, called attention to ITER in remarks about Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the IAEA in reactor technology, radiopharmaceuticals, and fusion research.

ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi took part in a panel at the Summit titled “New Nuclear and the Role of Innovation for the Nuclear Technologies of the Future,” where he discussed ITER’s role within the evolving fusion ecosystem.

Read more about the IAEA Nuclear Energy Summit hosted in Paris here.