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The G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held in Turin, Italy, from 28 to 30 April 2024 to identify "coherent, complementary and interconnected actions" to address the ongoing climate, energy and environmental crisis.

The promotion of fusion energy figured in the list of shared commitments published by the Energy Ministers in a joint declaration. "We recognise that with future breakthroughs in fusion energy technology, [fusion energy] has the potential to provide a lasting solution to the global challenges of climate change and energy security in the future."

The Ministers commit to promoting international collaboration to accelerate the development and demonstration of fusion plants. They also state their intention to establish a G7 Working Group of Fusion Energy to "share best practices and explore areas of mutual cooperation" with the aim of strengthening R&D cooperation, and to form a "G7 exchange" for the promotion of consistent approaches to fusion regulation.

You can read the 35-page joint communiqué here. (The paragraph on fusion energy is on page 13.)

As activity and investment in fusion swells, attention is turning to ensuring that a skilled workforce of fusion scientists, engineers, and technicians is trained and ready. National initiatives to expand training opportunities are multiplying as governments assess workforce development as critical to the development of a fusion industry. Universities are reporting growing interest in Master's and doctoral programs.

For students in the early stages of their journey, summer can be a great time to explore choices and to network. Below is a list of opportunities in English where applications are still open, listed by application deadline.

13th ITER International School
Nagoya, Japan, 9-13 December 2024
Pre-registration opens in May here

JT-60SA International Fusion School
Naka, Japan, 26 August-6 September 2024
Apply by 24 May 2024 here

PlasmaPy
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA, 29 July-1 August 2024
Apply by 24 May 2024 here

IPP Summer University for Plasma Physics and Fusion Research
Greifswald, Germany, 16-20 September 2024
Apply by 31 May 2024 here

PlasmaSurf 2024
Lisbon, Portugal, 14-20 July 2024
Apply by 31 May 2024 here

11th International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics
Kiten, Bulgaria, 24-30 June 2024
Apply by 1 June 2024 here

SUMTRAIC 2024
Prague, Czech Republic, 26 August-6 September 2024
Apply by 9 June 2024 here

Culham Plasma Physics Summer School
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, 15-25 July 2024
Apply by 28 June 2024 here

Training opportunities are kept up to date in the calendar at the top of this page of the ITER website.

On Tuesday 18 June 2024, the London Science Museum will host FUSION24, an event for anyone who wants to learn more about the opportunities that this emerging industry offers businesses, communities and the planet.

What will the power plants of the future look like? How do we fund fusion? What are we learning from other industries? How can we capitalize on a non-restrictive regulatory environment? How can we build on the current momentum? Sessions will cover everything from the solutions that a future with fusion will offer, to the skills required for success and the new markets that we will discover on the way. (See a list of planned sessions here.)

The event is free of charge. See the FUSION24 website to register to attend in person (space limited) or on line.