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ITER Awards 2023

Dedication and commitment in a "year of resilience"

11 Dec 2023

During the fourth annual ITER Awards ceremony last week, prizes went to the teams that were perceived to have had a "major impact" on 2023 project activities.

Party_2023-2.jpg
K.M. Praphullachandra Sharma, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy in France, prepares to light a ceremonial lamp with ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi. Light represents the victory of good over bad, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair, and on this evening Mr Sharma makes a wish that "the light will lead us on a path of knowledge and peace."
In a year marked by transition and change, staff all across the project—at the ITER Organization and in the Domestic Agencies—were asked to nominate teams in four categories based on the "positive impact" they believed these teams had had on ITER Project activities in 2023.

For this cycle, the team categories were modified slightly from last year's ceremony to reflect 2023 priorities. Seventy-seven nominations were sorted into 4-6 final nominations per category based on the frequency of nomination for a given team and each team's impact during calendar year 2023. The shortlist was then put to the vote, with each staff member voting for one team per category.

Party_2023-3.jpg
The theme of the evening was "A night in India!" Guests were treated to fire dancers and the spirited music and dancing of the Bollywood Masala Orchestra.
The outcome of the elections was as follows:

For the Assembly Team Award, which recognizes activities that are especially challenging due to the technical requirements (e.g., complexity, precision, new technologies) or the conditions and constraints involved, the winner was the Vacuum Vessel Assembly Group and the TAC 2 team for the successful removal of sector module 6 from the pit.

The Component Delivery Team Award was presented to the combined European and Japanese Domestic Agency Toroidal Field Coils Teams for the completion, this year, of the toroidal field coil manufacturing program. Nineteen coils were successfully delivered to the ITER Project between April 2020 and December 2023 (the last one arrives this week).

Best Support of the ITER Project was awarded to the Science Division, the ITER Scientist Fellows, and collaborators for carrying out the physics analysis required to support the new plans for construction and operation including the definition of machine configuration, systems required, and the objectives of the new Baseline.

The Special Contribution Team Award recognized the Facilities Management Team for all it does to keep day-to-day operations running smoothly and the extra challenge of major office moves in 2023 related to re-organization.

Party_2023-1.jpg
The ITER community comes together for an end-of-year get together and award ceremony on Monday 4 December 2023.

The ITER Director-General, Pietro Barabaschi, also gave out "Director's choice" awards to the Finance & Project Control Division for the new, more efficient way the budget call was conducted this year, and to the team of volunteers and staff members that ensure that every Open Doors Day (and there were three in 2023) is a public success.

"To all of the winning teams, your dedication, commitment and unwavering spirit are essential for the success of the ITER Project," said Director-General Barabaschi.

"I would like also to extend my deepest gratitude for all of those contributing project-wide and who could not all be recognized today. 2023 has undeniably been a year of resilience for all of us. The setbacks we encountered were handled not as roadblocks but as stepping stones that have pushed us to innovate, collaborate and reassess strategies; thank you all for your determination and collaboration."

This is the fourth time that the ITER Awards ceremony has taken place as part of the end-of-year ITER celebration. Each event is organized around one of the ITER Member cultures, with performances and themed menus. This year, the theme was "A night in India!" and the Director-General had the honour to welcome K M Praphullachandra Sharma (Deputy Chief of Mission) and Madhav R. Sulphule (First Secretary, Political) from the Indian Embassy in France.

Director's choice award: Open Doors Day volunteers
Twice every year, on a Saturday, the gates of ITER open to admit 800 people as part of public Open Doors Days. These important outreach events are only possible thanks to the many dozens of volunteers who give their time to the event and share their passion. Organizer Julie Marcillat from Communication accepts the award on behalf of all the volunteers that have participated in one or more events.
Director's choice award: Finance & Project Control
The Finance & Project Control Division is recognized by the Director-General for the new, more efficient way the budget call was conducted in 2023. Acting Head of Administration Laetitia Grammatico, second from left, congratulates the team for its performance.
Special Contribution Team Award
Yves Belpomo, Deputy Program Manager/Buildings & Site Management, accepts the Special Contribution Team Award on behalf of the Facilities Management Team, which is recognized for all it does to keep day-to-day facility operations running smoothly. None of the team members could be present during the ceremony due to a major office move taking place this week at ITER.
Best Support of the ITER Project
Best Support of the ITER Project is awarded to the Science Division, the ITER Scientist Fellows, and collaborators for carrying out the physics analysis required to support the new plans for construction and operation including the definition of machine configuration, systems required, and the objectives of the new Baseline. Mireille Schneider, Coordinating Scientist/Pulse Design, accepts on behalf of the team.
Assembly Team Award
The Assembly Team Award recognizes the Vacuum Vessel Assembly Group and the TAC 2 machine assembly contractor for the successful removal of sector module 6 from the pit, a complex operation requiring high-precision reverse engineering. Daniel Coelho, Group Leader for In-Vessel Assembly, accepts on behalf of the team.
Component Delivery Team Award
The combined European and Japanese Domestic Agency Toroidal Field Coils Teams win the Component Delivery Team Award for the completion, this year, of the toroidal field coil manufacturing program. Tokamak Program Manager Alessandro Bonito Oliva (left) and Deputy Tokamak Program Manager Norikiyo Koizumi (speaking) accept the award on behalf of the teams.
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