Of Interest archive

FuseNet has opened nominations for its Master Thesis Prize 2025. The prize is open to students who completed fusion-related theses in 2025 and recognizes outstanding academic work carried out at European institutions or in collaboration with international partners.

Eligible candidates can submit their candidatures until 9 February 2026. FuseNet advises students to coordinate with their home institution before submitting, as each FuseNet member institution may put forward only one nomination.

The 2024 prize recognized three researchers for their theses on divertor modelling, turbulence phenomena in plasmas with varying triangularity, and dimensionality reduction methods applied to magnetohydrodynamic equilibria.

FuseNet supports education, training, and collaboration for students and young researchers in the field of fusion energy across Europe.

More information available here.

As part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China from 3 to 5 December, the two countries issued a joint declaration on "further cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy." It included a point asserting nuclear fusion is an “essential option” for abundant, decarbonized energy and reaffirmed their commitment to ITER.

France and China have a long history of working together to ensure the peaceful use of nuclear energy, dating back to a first protocol signed in 1982. Cooperation on nuclear fusion was cited in the 10th Protocol for Cooperation in Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy, which was signed in 2009 by former ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot when he was still Chairman of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). The most recent joint declaration emphasizes the value of nuclear energy for addressing climate change and ensuring energy security while citing the important role nuclear fusion will play in the future. The declaration states:

“Both sides recognize that nuclear fusion energy represents an important direction for the peaceful use of nuclear energy by humanity and an essential option for an abundant and decarbonized energy source for the future. They are ready to continue their extensive participations in the major international scientific project of the Thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor (ITER) in order to contribute to the successful promotion of the ITER project and its timely completion.”

Read the full Joint Declaration on Further Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy between France and the People’s Republic of China here.

Photograph from the Élysée website.

A new report from the F4E Fusion Observatory analyzes the latest data to provide a global picture of the growing private fusion sector.

The second edition of Global Investment in the Private Fusion Sector shows that, following major investments announced this summer, the cumulative funding for private sector initiatives is now at EUR 13 billion, with 77 companies in the field. "This funding is a mix of sources: private capital accounts for the majority at over EUR 8.9 billion while public funds, totalling around EUR 4.1 billion, are increasingly flowing into private ventures through grants and institutional support. A further EUR 84 million comes from hybrid forms like public-private partnerships and state-backed investments." The report goes on to break down investments by region, by technology, and by type of funding model.

Fusion for Energy (F4E) is the European Union’s organization for the development of fusion energy. It is mainly responsible for Europe’s contribution to ITER, but is also involved in major fusion projects such as the European/Japanese tokamak JT-60SA and the materials research facility IFMIF-DONES. The F4E Fusion Observatory provides objective analysis and intelligence on global and European fusion policies, R&D, technologies, investments and industrial activity for the benefit of European policy makers, the scientific community and other interested parties.

Download the F4E Fusion Observatory report here.

One of the challenges facing fusion is to identify the right materials for the next-generation fusion reactors like DEMO. A major initiative to find these solutions, the IFMIF-DONES project, achieved a major benchmark with the signing on 21 November of an international agreement to strengthen collaboration on testing to identify materials that best resist neutron irradiation.

The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility-Demo Oriented NEutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) is based in Granada, Spain. The agreement was signed between the IFMIF-DONES España Consortium, Fusion for Energy (F4E) representing the European Commission and Member States, and R&D centres in Croatia (RBI), Japan (QST) and Italy (INFN). The multinational agreement provides a framework for the financing and operation of the test facility.

Learn more at F4E or the IFMIF-DONES site.

The ITER Organization has begun recruitment for its 2026 internship program.

We invite students from across the ITER Members (the People's Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United States) to apply for one of our exciting internship opportunities. All Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD students enrolled in a fully accredited degree program are eligible to apply. Internships are offered for up to six months and are extendable to up to one year under certain circumstances. 

The first wave of the campaign runs from 15 November 2025 through 6 January 2026, with the publication of 28 offers on the ITER website. A second-wave campaign will be advertised from 17 January 2026 through 28 February 2026.

See this page to apply. The deadline for first-wave opportunities is 6 January 2026.

The WEST tokamak in France, with its tungsten divertor, is exploring the plasma physics of operation in a tungsten environment.

Research on WEST is directly relevant to ITER, helping to answer questions such as "How will the actively cooled tungsten components of the ITER divertor behave after hours of plasma discharge?" or "Can performant plasmas be produced if plasma-facing components are damaged?" or "How can the monitoring system be optimized for these components?" 

In a six-week campaign that started on 7 November, the team is testing the performance of a tungsten coating on tiles in collaboration with ITER, running experiments to test the "I-mode" regime (an ELM-free improved confinement regime with low impurity content) in collaboration with American and Chinese collaborators, and studying the growth of deposits on the divertor under high particle fluence.

The WEST tokamak (for W Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) is located at the Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research (IRFM) near ITER, part of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission's (CEA's) Cadarache Centre.

See the article published on the CEA IRFM website.

At the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility in Italy, progress was made in October on the MITICA testbed, where a full-size prototype of the ITER heating neutral beam injector will be tested before ITER operation.

During tests of MITICA's cryogenic infrastructure, the cryopump system successfully reached its nominal operating temperatures: 4.6 K for the cryopumps and 80 K for the thermal radiation shields. Controlled gas injection inside MITICA’s vacuum vessel came next, providing essential data on the cryopumps' behaviour and their capability to capture and retain gas under realistic operating conditions. The charcoal layer within the cryopump reached full saturation, allowing researchers to study gas release dynamics and system limitations. The campaign concluded with the successful warm-up of the MITICA cryogenic system back to room temperature.

Read a full report on the Consorzio RFX website in English or Italian.

Glasgow. Sharm El-Sheikh. Dubai. Baku. For the past five years, fusion energy has emerged as a discussion topic at the annual United Nations climate change conferences—the Conferences of the Parties, or COPs. This year in Belém, Brazil, COP30 is taking shape as a pivotal moment in the global effort to reduce energy consumption and turn to clean energy sources. 

On 12 November, at the pavilion of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), ITER and the IAEA co-hosted a panel on “Fusion Energy as a Clean Energy Solution.” The panel explored the current state of fusion from different angles: ITER’s ongoing leadership, the surge in private sector investment and fusion initiatives, the role of the IAEA and NGOs such as the Clean Air Task Force in shaping policy, standards, and other essential support functions, and a Nordic case study involving the governments of Sweden and Finland and centred around the private-sector firm Novatron. 

COP30 runs from 10 to 21 November. See all information here.

--On the fusion panel are (left to right): Laban Coblentz, ITER Head of Communication; Olov Hemström, Head of Strategic Projects at Business Sweden; Caroline Anderson, Director of External Affairs for the Fusion Industry Association; Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General; and Rebecca Tremain, UK Director of the Clean Air Task Force.

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the ITER Organization have announced they will be hosting a session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Lise Meitner program in 2026 in Cadarache.

The program, named after the Austrian-Swedish physicist who was renowned internationally for her work on nuclear fission, aims to enhance the participation of women in the nuclear sector by providing early- and mid‑career women professionals with opportunities to participate in a multi-week visiting professional program and advance their technical and soft skills. 

Around fifteen participants from IAEA member states will be welcomed for two weeks for training sessions, workshops, and conferences led by experts from ITER, the CEA, and the IAEA. They will also have the opportunity to tour state-of-the-art research facilities at both ITER and the CEA, allowing them to discover the latest technological advancements and gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with managing large-scale projects in the nuclear energy sector.

See the press release in English and in French.

-- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, CEA Chairman Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, and ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi announce the news at ITER on 13 November.

ITER Scientist Fellow Livia Casali has been named winner of the Katherine E. Weimar Award by the American Physical Society (APS) "for outstanding scientific contributions to plasma boundary physics and core-edge integration through innovative experiments and modelling supporting the operation of high-performance core plasmas, and for exemplary leadership."

A professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (USA), Casali also contributes her knowledge and expertise as part of the ITER Scientist Fellow network and has participated in the recent updating of the ITER Research Plan as an international expert. Her work focuses on boundary physics and core-edge integrated solutions with special emphasis on the role of the radiative divertor, divertor detachment, pedestal fuelling, impurity behaviour and negative triangularity. 

The Katherine E. Weimar Award is presented every two years to a woman scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the field of plasma physics.

See the original article on the University of Tennessee Knoxville website.
See more about the Katherine E. Weimar Award here.
--Photo courtesy of the University of Tennessee Knoxville

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).

In this episode of Behind the Science of Fusion, join ITER vacuum engineers Robert Pearce and Liam Worth for a live conversation that proves that "nothing" can be truly fascinating. Co-hosts Kruti Mawani Fayot and Julia Ponomareva explore how science fiction has inspired real-world engineering, dig deep into the everyday engineering challenges involving plasma, inspection, vacuum systems and cryogenics, and share plenty of laughs along the way.

You’ll also hear surprising stories about inspection, cleaning, coconuts (yes, really, coconuts), spin-off applications, and how lessons from past experiments are shaping ITER’s vacuum engineering and paving the way for future fusion machines.

Tune into Episode 5, "All About Nothing," for good humour, insights and a peek behind the curtain of one of fusion’s most fascinating challenges.  Find “All About Nothing” on the ITER website's podcast page or open it directly here. You can also find this episode and all past episodes of the ITER podcast at Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean. 

On 30 October 2025, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi and Deputy Head of the Engineering Services Department Mario Merola participated in an episode of the program "Astrea: the future to come, (Astrea: il futuro che verrà) hosted by Rosanna Piras and broadcast on Radio Radio TV in Italy.

The episode, titled "The Future of Energy Comes from the Sun and the Stars" ("Il Futuro Dell'Energia Viene dal Sole e Dalle Stelle"), was entirely dedicated to fusion and ITER.

Listen to the 27-minute program from Thursday 30 October here (in Italian). 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan's National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) have completed the manufacturing of the first outer vertical target of the ITER divertor. Three types of plasma-facing targets (outer vertical target, inner vertical target and dome) mounted on divertor cassette bodies form the "cassette assemblies" that will be installed in a ring at the bottom of the ITER plasma chamber. In a tokamak, the divertor plays an important role in the removal and expelling of unburned fuel and impurities in the core plasma to sustain the fusion reaction in a stable manner.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is responsible for the manufacturing of 38 outer vertical target units. Series production is now underway.

Read the full press release in English or Japanese.

From 4 to 6 November, Paris will host the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE)—the world's largest civil nuclear exhibition, expected to welcome more than 25,000 participants.

The ITER Organization will be present at WNE 2025. Here’s how you can meet and engage with us during the event:

• Stand L123: for the duration of the conference
• Tuesday 4 November, 17:00-17:50, Workshop Room 3: "ITER procurement procedures and opportunities" with ITER Procurement Section Leader Takakazu Kimura and Fusion for Energy Market Analyst Benjamin Perier.
• Wednesday 5 November, 11:15-12:30, Main Stage: "From Breakthroughs to Industry: Delivering Fusion Energy at Global Scale," a panel discussion with ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi and representatives from RWE Nuclear GmbH, Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse Electric Company, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy.

See you there!

If you are a European company or organization with fusion technology or fusion know-how that is used or planned for use in a non-fusion application, you can apply by 5 December 2025 for Fusion for Energy's 2025 Fusion Technology Transfer Award.

Europe’s contribution to ITER and other fusion projects such as JT-60SA, IFMIF/EVEDA, IFERC, IFMIF-DONES, and DEMO is pushing suppliers to develop cutting-edge technologies. These range from robotic tools to engineering software, superconductors or novel metal joining techniques. Besides their value in a fusion environment, these solutions can find their place in other high-tech sectors. Fusion for Energy’s Technology Transfer Programme helps companies and researchers think broader and tap into the commercial potential of fusion breakthroughs; discover some of the success stories here.

The prize (EUR 10,000) will be awarded during the first quarter of 2026. 

See all information on the 2025 Fusion Technology Transfer Award website.

The journal Nuclear Fusion has published a collection of papers prepared by the Topical Physics Groups of the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) reviewing progress in the development of the physics basis for burning plasma operation.

The special issue describes the extensive physics R&D activities for ITER and fusion energy development carried out under the ITPA between 2007 and 2025. It covers a wide range of physics issues—from plasma confinement and fast particles, to plasma control (including power fluxes on plasma-facing components and the mitigation of power transients) and diagnostics.

The 2025 special issue includes topics of relevance to ITER, as well as to tokamak burning plasmas more generally.

Click to access “On the Path to Tokamak Burning Plasma Operation.”

A picture of the ITER tokamak pit has made the cover of the November issue of National Geographic. Inside the 30-page feature story titled "Inside the long-shot megaproject that aims to solve our energy worries forever," author Michael Finkel explains how ITER will attempt to tame "a soupy jumble of atomic parts known as plasma" and create a "mechanical star" on Earth.

He vividly describes the challenges of mastering fusion energy, relates something of ITER's bumpy road to existence, and—dressed in a white lab coat, a hairnet, a hard hat, protective eyewear, and white gloves—marvels at the attempt to build a machine that he describes as almost absurdly difficult. He also lifts the veil on what it's like to be at the head of such a complex endeavour by trailing ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi, including during a 6:00 a.m. meeting that is at the start of every workday.

You can access an online version of the article on the National Geographic website. (Photography by Paolo Verzone.) A German version is available here.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) publishes the annual World Fusion Outlook as a reference for authoritative information and updates on fusion energy research. The 2025 edition presents a selection of recent achievements in fusion energy, outlines some of the dozens of fusion plant concepts currently at various stages of development worldwide, highlights global efforts in fusion energy development and discusses for the first time the global outlook for fusion energy deployment. As a special focus topic, this edition of the publication explores high-temperature superconductors and their potential role in the commercialization of fusion energy.

Read or download the full report at this address.

The publication is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.