As demand for fusion expertise grows, European PhD students gathered at ITER to share research and forge connections. As ITER continues to test and develop the technologies that will drive the fusion industry, it is also helping to ensure the sector will have the scientists and engineers it needs in the future by hosting educational initiatives like the FuseNet PhD event.From 4 to 6 November, ITER welcomed 150 doctoral students in fusion science and engineering for the annual PhD conference organized by the FuseNet association. The students came from universities across Europe to tour the ITER facilities, take part in networking events, hear lectures from top ITER experts, and present their own fusion research. What emerged over the three-day conference was that as investment in public- and private-sector fusion projects continues to soar, there needs to be a similar upsurge in fusion education.“People are our greatest commodity,” said Roddy Vann, the chair of the FuseNet board of governors, as he addressed the assembled doctoral students. “The biggest challenge for the future is to have a suitably trained workforce. We can’t fast-track that. We can’t solve that simply by putting more money into fusion or by pouring more concrete. What we need is more expertise like yours.”  Inside the Assembly Hall and the tokamak pit, students get an inside look at fusion energy infrastructure. FuseNet, the European Fusion Education Network supported by EUROfusion, coordinates training efforts across universities, research institutes, and industry. A key part of the effort is the annual PhD conference. The event was launched in Munich in 2011 at a time when fusion roadmaps forecast a need for approximately 300 fusion PhDs per year; according to EUROfusion’s 2024 human resources survey, there were more than 600 PhD students registered across Europe in 2023 and that number still needs to grow. â€œWe begin our outreach at primary-school level and the PhD event is like the end of the journey,” said Darío Cruz, the executive officer of FuseNet. “It’s an excellent opportunity to hold the event at ITER because it is at facilities like this that students meet the researchers and the people who will help them integrate into the professional world.”Close to 200 PhD students applied to participate in this year’s event and 150 were able to attend. All students were required to present their doctoral research, either through a poster event in the ITER lobby or by giving a PechaKucha presentation in the auditorium.  The PechaKucha presentations, which take their name from the Japanese word for “chit-chat,” are always a highlight of the conference as students are encouraged to veer from a strictly academic approach. At this year’s event, presentations compared deuterium and helium to members of the Fantastic Four or used Zinedine Zidane’s infamous head butt in the 2006 World Cup final as an example of a sudden release of energy. Winners for the best fusion research posters and PechaKucha presentations receive their prizes on stage with Myra van Nunen (first from left) and Darío Cruz (first from right) from FuseNet. The 2025 PhD conference fits into ITER’s broader strategy of nurturing fusion talent, which includes the InFUSEd fusion education initiative and ITER’s postdoctoral fellowship programs. ITER also has a representative on FuseNet’s board of governors, Kirsten Haupt, who helped organize the conference at ITER. There was an added benefit to hosting the PhD event as it gave ITER a close look at the next generation of fusion researchers and opened the door to possible collaborations. As Yutaka Kamada, ITER’s Deputy Director-General for Science & Technology, told the students, “You are here to make connections, so please join ITER or use ITER for the future of fusion.”

Images abound to describe the central solenoid, the backbone and “beating heart” of the ITER tokamak. The most striking of all describes the giant superconducting electromagnet as powerful enough to lift an aircraft carrier out of the water. This is not, of course, what the 18-metre-tall, 1,000-tonne component is intended to do: in ITER, the central solenoid will generate a magnetic field that will induce and maintain a powerful pulsed current in the plasma while contributing to controlling and shaping it. The ITER central solenoid comprises six 110-tonne cylindrical “modules,” which must be stacked on top of one another, precisely aligned, and connected. On Tuesday 4 November, the monster component came one step closer to completion with the installation of a fifth module on top of the existing stack.Using the terms “stack” and “stacking,” however, does not convey the extreme complexity of the operation. Modules are delicate components that cannot be handled like other loads, however large or heavy. As their shape and structure do not permit the bolting or welding of conventional lifting devices, operators rely on a set of purpose-built tools—such as a three-pronged lift attachment to balance the cylindrical load, a circular lift frame with friction pads that grasp the modules like hands holding a bowl of cereal, slings, and actuated screw jacks. Standing in a cherry picker close to the module, operators monitor the last phase of the installation. As in every phase of ITER assembly, pre- and post-lift metrology plays a key role in the ultra-precise positioning of the component. Lasers, module positioner tools, and fine pitch screws all contribute to achieving sub-millimetre adjustments.The positioning of what the team refers to as the “upper modules” (the fifth was the second in that category) comes with added challenges. Extending vertically from the existing stack, the helium-cooled busbar lead extensions that feed the 40 kA electric current to the magnets need to pass through the narrow space between the module proper and the circular lift frame without touching either as the module descends or as the lift tool is removed. Any contact with the narrow tower supporting the fragile extensions presents a risk that must be avoided at all costs.  Strategically located video cameras help operators monitor the movements of the load. Standing in a cherry picker close to the module, Carl Cormany, the superconducting engineer who supervised the operation and the workers from the Chinese consortium CNPE, spent quite a lot of time monitoring the last phase of the installation from that close observation point; cameras positioined in two locations also helped the team in their surveillance.The installation of the sixth and last module is tentatively scheduled for March 2026. This will not be the end of the story however, as a compression structure, tasked with applying downward precompression on the module stack, must be put in place. The completed central solenoid will remain on its platform in the Assembly Hall until all nine vacuum vessel sector modules are installed in the tokamak pit.Watch a timelapse video of the operation below.

The international showcase event for the worldwide civil nuclear industry makes space for fusion energy as part of a class of innovative technologies contributing to the conversation on energy. From 4 to 6 November in Paris, at least 25,000 people—including exhibitors from 88 nations—gathered for an event described as “a marketplace for the global civil nuclear supply chain.” The sixth World Nuclear Exhibition took place in the context of global momentum behind nuclear energy, as nations grapple with demands for increased electricity to power artificial intelligence.Fusion energy made its most prominent appearance yet at the exhibition. Sylvie Bermann, President of the World Nuclear Exhibition, opened by calling out innovation as one of the major themes of the three-day event. “This year, the World Nuclear Exhibition is bigger and bolder with newcomers and fusion.”A packed session, “From Breakthroughs to Industry—Delivering Fusion Energy at Global Scale,” explored not only the state-of-the-art in fusion R&D, but also the urgent next steps, including supply chain readiness, workforce development, large-scale investment, and international collaboration. ITER’s Director-General Pietro Barabaschi emphasized how the project is sharing the know-how it has developed—and also the “know-how-not” acquired from years of trial and error. “To add value for society, ITER is sharing what we have learned so far with the private fusion sector,” he said, also taking the opportunity to announce the upcoming publication of Volume 1 of the ITER Design Handbook, planned around the turn of the year. See the gallery below for a few impressions from this year’s World Nuclear Exhibition.

A panel discussion on recent international developments in fusion, public/private partnerships, and the fusion supply chain is planned during the first week of the COP30 Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil. "Fusion Energy as a Clean Energy Solution" will take place on Wednesday 12 November (16:00-17:30) at the IAEA Pavilion PV-C111 (Blue Zone, Corridor C).Head of ITER Communication Laban Coblentz will be joined by Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General; Caroline Anderson, Director of External Affairs for the Fusion Industry Association; Rebecca Tremain, UK Director of the Clean Air Task Force; and Olov Hemström, Head of Strategic Projects at Business Sweden.The 2025 UN Climate Change Conference runs from 10 to 21 November. See all information here.

In a statement published on 31 October 2025, the Energy and Environment Ministers of G7 nations (France, the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany) stress the need for "enhancing global energy security and meeting rising energy demands—including those driven by electrification, digitalization, and artificial intelligence."The statement describes nuclear energy as a non-emitting baseload energy source consistent with national priorities and international commitments, citing both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion."We recognize that, in the future, fusion energy has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting the growing demand for energy. Acknowledging global advancements and investment in fusion energy technology, we underscore the importance of sustained international collaboration on fusion energy with trusted partners, encouraging private investments and public engagement." The group emphasizes the sharing of best practices, the harmonization of standards, and consistent approaches to fusion regulation as critical to the deployment of fusion energy technologies.See the full statement that was delivered after the G7 Energy and Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Toronto, Canada (30-31 October 2025).