He was among the first arrivals at the ITER Joint Work Site in Cadarache, France, more than eight years ago, but his involvement in ITER dates back to 2001 when he became part of the French team preparing the candidature of the Cadarache site. This is why Akko Maas, engineering officer, probably knows more about the "making of" ITER than any other ITER staff member. The story he shared with colleagues at a Science and Technology Meeting on Monday 30 June was not the official history, but a recollection of facts, conversations and interpretation of documents. It all began in 1985, at the Geneva Summit between USSR General Secretary Gorbachev and US President Reagan where—thanks to the intense efforts of Academician Evgeny Velikhov  and Dr Mike Roberts—fusion research was on the agenda and the two leaders emphasized "the potential importance of the work aimed at utilizing controlled thermonuclear fusion for peaceful purposes" and advocated "the widest practicable development of international cooperation in obtaining this source of energy, which is essentially inexhaustible, for the benefit for all mankind."Two years later in 1987, at the first meeting of the Quadripartite Initiative Committee under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the birth of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) became a fact.  In those early days, only four members—Europe, Japan, USSR and the US—participated in the initiative and went to work on the first conceptual design activities (CDA) which were completed between 1988 and 1990.  In 1991 the negotiations for the engineering design activities (EDA) started and three Joint Work Sites were opened in mid-1992 (Garching, Germany; Naka, Japan; and San Diego, US) to facilitate and speed up design work. In 1998, after the Final Design Report was approved, the US announced they would not join the following phase and left the project.Work continued on a design option with reduced technical scope and cost and in early 2000 the time was deemed ripe to start exploring, among the interested parties, what it would take to build, operate and decommission ITER.  Canada was the first nation that offered to host the project, quickly followed by Europe and Japan. In 2002 negotiations picked up speed and the following year the US re-joined ITER and China and Korea also became part of the negotiations. For the next several years negotiations evolved mainly around issues such as organizational structure and staffing, information and intellectual property rights, non-proliferation and peaceful uses and, of course, site selection.  Initially four sites were proposed: Clarington (Canada), Rokkasho (Japan), Cadarache (European Union/France) and Vandellos (European Union/Spain). In 2003, after being asked to propose only one site, the European Union selected Cadarache, France. The same year, Canada withdrew its offer. On 28 June 2005, after more than four years of long and complex negotiations, the Cadarache site in southern France was finally selected to host the ITER Project. Kaname Ikeda from Japan was appointed Nominee Director General, the Joint Work Site in Cadarache was opened and a seventh Member, India, joined the project.  As the first ITER staff started to arrive in Cadarache, the ITER Agreement, establishing the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization, was signed in Paris on 26 November 2006.  After more than 20 years of preparations and negotiations on paper, the Agreement opened the way to finally start the digging, building and manufacturing to make ITER a reality."And the rest is history," says Akko Maas. "I hope that I have helped you to better understand how we have gotten to where we are today and why certain things are the way they are. Enormous progress has been made over the years, even though it doesn't always feel like this on a daily basis. It is up to us to write the next pages of the fascinating history of ITER."

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, strongly reaffirmed Europe's commitment to ITER on Friday 11 July as he visited the international project's worksite in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance.   President Barroso's visit to ITER was part of a tour of strategic projects in Europe aimed at fighting climate change and facilitating worldwide "energy transition." He was accompanied by French Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research Geneviève Fioraso. "Eight years ago, along with President Chirac, I worked hard for ITER to be located here. The European Commission is proud to have believed in this project," said President Barroso as he stood on the large concrete slab overlooking the spectacular Tokamak Complex worksite where the ITER machine will be assembled.   Mrs Fioraso, who was visiting ITER for the third time in less than one year, said she too was proud "that Europe had been bold and brave enough to launch into this project. Europe is beautiful when it is audacious." ITER Director-General Motojima provides explanations to Mrs Fioraso and President Barroso in front of the ITER Tokamak mockup that had been specially moved to the Assembly Building basemat slab on the worksite for the occasion. The European President and the French Minister's visit came at a crucial moment in the worksite progress as concrete pouring operations had just begun in the central part of the Tokamak Complex.   "Europe's commitment and your personal support, Mr President, Mrs Minister, have made this great venture possible," said Director-General Osamu Motojima as he introduced the visitors to the assembled ITER staff. "At a time of economic hardship across the world, Europe has never backed away from its commitment towards ITER."   Addressing the ITER staff in the Headquarters amphitheatre, President Barroso explained that he had supported the project throughout his whole presidency "because the future of Europe is in science and innovation."   The Assembly slab had never been so crowded ... From left to right, between the European flag and that of ITER: Bernard Bigot, CEA Administrator-General and High Representative for ITER in France; ITER Director-General Motojima; President Barroso; Minister Fioraso; Laurent Schmieder (blue helmet), from the European Domestic Agency; and Robert-Jan Smits, General Director for Research and Innovation at the European Commission. © LESENECHAL/PPV-AIX.COM Mrs Fioraso shared this vision: "Thanks to this project," she said, "Europe is a very young and very ambitious continent."   Europe contributes approximately 45 percent of the total value of ITER construction.   As "the gateway to industrial and commercial fusion," added the President of the European Commission, "ITER presents a unique opportunity for our industry."   He concluded his address saying: "The personal message I want to deliver to you is one of confidence and support." Following their visit to the ITER worksite, President Barroso and Mrs Fioraso addressed the ITER staff. On behalf of the institution and government they represent, and also on a personal level, both reaffirmed their strong support to ITER and their confidence in the project's success. Read the press release in English or in French.

A major milestone was reached on the Tokamak Complex worksite on 10 July, on the eve of European President Barroso and French Minister Fioraso's visit to ITER.Following months of exchanges with the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and its technical experts at the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the hold point on the Tokamak Building slab (part of the Tokamak Complex slab) was lifted and pouring operations were allowed to proceed.A 627-square-metre segment, adjacent to the Diagnostics Building slab on the north side of Seismic Pit, was the first of nine plots to be poured to complete the central area of the slab. The final foundation operations for the 400,000-tonne Tokamak Complex will be finalized when the perfectly circular last segment is poured before the end of August. The final foundation operations for the 400,000-tonne Tokamak Complex will be finalized when the perfectly circular last segment is poured before the end of August. Last week's milestone was made possible by the mobilization of all stakeholders: the ITER Organization, the European agency Fusion for Energy and the Architect-Engineer Engage who, together, form the B2 Slab Task Force.   Integrated team work has once again demonstrated its efficiency. So let us continue toward success!

The ITER Business Forum (IBF) concluded in Seoul, Korea on Friday 4 July after three constructive days of exchanges, presentations and one-to-one business meetings that all focused on encouraging enterprises to participate in the ITER Project.   The event, organized from 2-4 July by the National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI), under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), provided companies with updated information on the project, procurement opportunities and procedures. Over 200 people participated from 117 companies; fully two-thirds of participating companies came from outside of Korea.  The IBF is an international business forum open to the industries of the seven ITER Members that has been held every two years in France since 2007. This year the meeting was hosted in Korea as the first IBF venue in Asia, with the participation of the French agency for ITER, Agence Iter France.  A wide array of presentations provided companies with updated information on the project, procurement opportunities and procedures. Companies already participating in the project also shared their expertise and experience. Companies already participating in the project shared their expertise and experience. One-on-one business meetings were organized to promote networking among the participating industries and between western and eastern companies to explore opportunities for new business models and mutual collaboration. Participants had the opportunity to promote their company's technology in the presence of other leading global and local industries.   To celebrate the opening of the IBF Korea this year, special guests attended including the first Vice Minister Sang-Mok Lee of the MSIP, Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski from the European Union delegation to Korea, and Deputy Director-General Joo-Shik Bak of the ITER Organization. ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima addressed the IBF participants by video.  "Big science projects such as ITER offer participating industries a chance to secure cutting-edge technologies and find opportunities to explore new business domains," stressed Vice Minister Lee in his speech. "When such companies begin to contribute to advancement of science and technology, we can expect a virtuous circle of a win-win relationship between big science research projects and the participating corporations." Here's what some others had to say:   Kijung Jung, head of ITER Korea: "It was my honour and my pleasure to hold the first Asian ITER Business Forum in Korea and I hope this event was very helpful to all participants, with plenty of opportunity to exchange information. I believe that all participants left IBF Korea with several prospective partnerships and also certainly brought home a better understanding of what ITER is about and a clearer perspective of the project's economic weight."   How to partipate in ITER? One-on-one business meetings gave company representatives the opportunity to network and explore opportunities for collaboration. Jean-Pierre Leraistre, Nuclear Business Development Manager for Boccard SA (France): This is my third participation in IBF and I'd say it has been the best so far. IBF Korea 2014 was very well organized—all sessions, both plenary and thematic, were a source of new information about the project. I had several interesting one-on-one meetings and I am sure it will be good for the future of Boccard's business. Furthermore, meals and breaks were a great opportunity to develop closer relationships.   Giulio Barletta, Sales Director, Sices Group (Italy): I confirm that IBF 2014 was a fruitful medium for stepping into the ITER world and its opportunities. It was a pleasure to meet and brainstorm among different top-notch players in the different disciplines among the ITER Member countries. It was also a terrific experience to attend the technical tour of the Korean tokamak KSTAR!

The first 5 of 49 superconducting conductors have been completed in Japan for the ITER central solenoid coil. The baton will now be handed to the US which is in charge of the next leg in the procurement process ... using these conductors to begin to manufacture the central solenoid.   The Japanese Domestic Agency for ITER is responsible for supplying 100 percent of the central solenoid conductors. The central solenoid is, literally, the centrepiece of the machine that will allow a powerful current to be induced in the ITER plasma and maintained during long plasma pulses. It will carrying a maximum electrical current of 46 kilo amperes in some modules, over 20 years of pulse operation with 60,000 cycling electromagnetic loads. Six companies in Japan are involved in the production of central solenoid conductor.   The first shipment of five conductors left Kitakyushu, southwestern Japan, on 25 June. The conductors are now on their way to a factory near San Diego, California where the central solenoid components will be manufactured by a US Domestic Agency contractor before the completed components are shipped to France for on-site installation.   Conductor production will continue in Japan though 2017, with regular shipments scheduled to the US. As the first completed ITER components shipped from Japan, the central solenoid conductor shipment was an important milestone for the Japanese contribution to ITER and a big step forward for the project.

​Two additional Complementary Diagnostic Procurement Arrangements were concluded in Russia on 10 July for the delivery of diagnostic systems to ITER. Russian Domestic Agency head Anatoly Krasilnikov signed the documents in the presence of ITER Diagnostics Division head Michael Walsh, who told the Russian staff members and supplier representatives present that "without diagnostics we won't see anything in ITER. Diagnostics are the machine's eyes and ears."  In the scope of its commitments to ITER, Russia will manufacture 9 out of the 45 planned diagnostic systems. The latest signatures covered Edge Charge Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy and the H-Alpha diagnostic—both highly sophisticated technical devices designed for the measurement of various plasma parameters.  --Alex Petrov, ITER Russia

​The search for star power — fusion — has received a major boost with the launch of the Australian Plasma Fusion Research Facility (APFRF) at The Australian National University.The facility includes Australia's largest fusion experiment, the newly upgraded H1, which will now be able to heat fusion experiments to temperatures hotter than the core of the sun.The facility also includes a new machine, MagPIE, which will accelerate research into extreme materials to be used in future experiments involving even higher temperatures and radiation levels.Senator Zed Seselja pressed the button to initiate a 30,000 degrees Celsius fusion experiment in H1 to conclude the launch. "This facility and its fine team have a reputation for world-class innovation and research excellence," Senator Seselja said.[...]"ITER's design hinges on experiments being carried out in experiments around the world, such as the Plasma Fusion Research Facility at ANU," said the Director General of ITER, Osamu Motojima.Dr Adi Paterson, CEO of ANSTO, said the choice of materials for use in ITER is an active research area, to which MagPIE is already contributing, in collaboration with ANSTO (Australia's national nuclear research and development organisation), which part funded the project."Power plant fusion plasmas present an extreme materials challenge. This facility helps us to test whether prototype new materials can withstand the heat flux damage inflicted by a fusion plasma," Dr Paterson said.At the same event a five-year plan for fusion research was launched laying out pathways to Australian ITER involvement and enhancements to national experimental fusion science capabilities.The upgrade to H1 was made possible through a Commonwealth investment of $7.9 million from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme (NCRIS) and associated programs.Read more about ANU and its Plasma Fusion Research Facility here.

​A major EUR 283 million contract has been signed between the European Commission and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) that enables CCFE to continue to operate JET—for use by the EUROfusion consortium of European fusion research laboratories—until the end of 2018.CCFE has been operating JET, Europe's largest fusion energy experiment, for fusion scientists around the continent since 2000. But the new agreement represents the largest-ever single contract to be awarded to CCFE and gives Culham and the European fusion program unprecedented security of funding for five years. This enables future experimental programs and further upgrades to JET to be planned with confidence and secures its position as a science and engineering test bed for its international successor ITER, under construction in France.CCFE Director Steve Cowley is delighted with the agreement on the contract: "This is great news for the highly-skilled CCFE staff who work on JET and for the European fusion program. We are determined to make the most of this investment and push JET towards ever-improving performance in the years to come."-- Nick HollowaySource: Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE)

​Aerial views of the ITER platform, close-ups of the steel reinforcement in the Tokamak Seismic Pit, reportage-like images of pouring operations and component manufacturing... nothing illustrates the progress of the ITER Project better than photographs.These pictures—some which have appeared in the publications ITER Newsline and ITER Mag and others that you'll be discovering for the first time—have been assembled in a 45-page photo book titled ITER, Progress in Pictures.This new ITER communication tool will be updated at least once a year. A pdf version is available here or in the Brochures section of the ITER website's Publication Centre.