ºÚÁÏÉçapp

On a clear morning in May 2025, our drone operator captured a series of spectacular views of the international territory that hosts the ºÚÁÏÉçapp installation. Four times as large as the Vatican City State, but slightly smaller than the Principality of Monaco, the ºÚÁÏÉçapp enclave covers 180 hectares, of which about half is occupied by buildings and infrastructure. The land was conceded by France to the ºÚÁÏÉçapp in 2010, and will be returned once ºÚÁÏÉçapp has completed its scientific program.

See the latest aerial photos here.

At the heart of fusion energy lies one of the universe¡¯s most untamed elements: plasma¡ªa high-energy state of matter seen in lightning, the aurora, and most spectacularly, in our sun. Scientists have spent decades trying to control it. But why? 

In this episode, host Kruti Fayot dives into the fascinating world of plasma: what it is, why it¡¯s essential for fusion, how it¡¯s being tamed inside machines like ºÚÁÏÉçapp, and the surprising role AI might play in the future of clean energy. Featuring insights from ºÚÁÏÉçapp experts Javier Artola, Michael Walsh, and Alberto Loarte, with a special introduction by plasma physicist Melanie Windridge and fusion analyst Jack Moore. If you¡¯ve ever looked up at the Northern Lights or wondered how we¡¯ll power the future ¡ª this one's for you.

Episode 3 of Behind the Science of Fusion is available now.

Find it on the ºÚÁÏÉçapp website's podcast page or open it directly here. You can also find the ºÚÁÏÉçapp podcast at , , , and .

Over the course of one very long day last week, sector module #7 was removed from vertical tooling and transferred into the tokamak pit where it now sits on temporary supports. The spectacular operation will be the subject of a detailed video, with interviews, later this week. For the time being, you can watch the operation in accelerated form in this 90-second time-lapse video.

See the video on YouTube .

The European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy (F4E) is calling for fusion technology transfer demonstrator proposals before 30 June 2025.

Open to European companies and research organizations, the call aims to support projects that propose to take fusion breakthroughs into new markets. Proposals will be evaluated on the feasibility of the demonstrator project, its innovation potential, and socio-economic impact.

Proposals should describe the further use or adaptation of a technology or skill developed under F4E activities into a new product or service in non-fusion applications. The Call invites entities from the fusion sector (F4E's Industrial Partners) and the non-fusion sector to submit proposals.

The selected proposal will receive up to EUR 50,000 to aid with implementation. See for all details.

Applications are open for the 2026 EUROfusion Bernard Bigot Researcher Grants funding individual post-doctoral research projects for two years starting in 2026. The grants will contribute to the salaries, research and training activities of up to nine outstanding early-career researchers. With this grant, EUROfusion encourages excellence and career development of researchers who are already in the fusion program and aims to attract high-quality potential candidates from outside fusion research.

Eligibility:

* Researchers and engineers of all nationalities in possession of a doctoral degree (PhD) who have completed the PhD and defended their thesis in the two years preceding the application deadline.
* The candidate must be employed by a EUROfusion Consortium member or one of their Affiliated Entities during the grant period. Interested candidates should jointly prepare their application with an institute(s) affiliated with EUROfusion, who will submit the application and offer to employ the candidate for the proposed duration of the project.

Apply by 12 May 2025. For all details, application documents, and deadlines .

The international ºÚÁÏÉçapp Business Forum (IBF/25) offers the opportunity to connect with global enterprises and create valuable business partnerships in fusion energy. Meet key players in the fusion supply chain¡ªfrom companies and startups, to innovators shaping the global landscape. Approximately 850 people from 360 companies are currently registered and the industrial exhibition is sold-out (see the list of exhibitors ).

Join them in Marseille, France, from 23 to 25 April 2025 by signing up at .

The second ºÚÁÏÉçapp Private Sector Fusion Workshop will take place at ºÚÁÏÉçapp Headquarters in France on 22-23 April 2025.  

The aim of the workshop is threefold: to help the private sector best take advantage of ºÚÁÏÉçapp's new mechanisms for knowledge sharing and collaboration; to understand who is doing what to solve the remaining fusion technology challenges; and to highlight the capacities of the global fusion supply chain.

An updated program has just been published on the workshop website. Registration closes on Friday 11 April 2025. 

There is also still time to sign up for the ºÚÁÏÉçapp Business Forum (IBF/25) through 23 April . The two events are highly complementary. 

US ºÚÁÏÉçapp and Oak Ridge National Laboratory host a visit from ºÚÁÏÉçapp Director-General Pietro Barabaschi in late March. Highlights of the visit include the opportunity to present ºÚÁÏÉçapp status to the laboratory community, an informal US ºÚÁÏÉçapp all-hands Q&A session, and a visit to ORNL fusion labs including test stands for ºÚÁÏÉçapp plasma heating components and disruption mitigation studies. He also toured the now-under-construction Materials Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), which will be a tool for studying plasma-materials interactions for future fusion devices.

US ºÚÁÏÉçapp is managed by ORNL, in partnership with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences.

See the US ºÚÁÏÉçapp website .

Ever wonder how scientists are trying to recreate the power of the sun on Earth? In our latest ºÚÁÏÉçapp podcast episode, we dive into the fascinating world of tokamaks¡ªdonut-shaped magnetic cages that could be the key to unlimited clean energy. Join us in Season 3 of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp podcast as we unravel the mysteries of fusion with expert insights from ºÚÁÏÉçapp scientists, exploring how decades of research are bringing us closer to harnessing the same energy that powers stars. From tiny experimental devices to massive reactors, discover the incredible journey of fusion science and why tokamaks might just be humanity's most promising path to sustainable power.

Episode 2 of Behind the Science of Fusion is available now.

Look up "Tokamaks" on the podcast page of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp website or open it directly here. You can also find the ºÚÁÏÉçapp podcast at , , , , and .

The prestigious Women in Nuclear (WiN) Global Excellence Award is a chance to celebrate an individual who has communicated consistently, effectively and positively the key messages for the nuclear industry and nuclear applications.

The successful candidate will be offered free registration at the WiN Global 32nd Annual Conference in London (14-18 July 2025) and the opportunity to speak at the Annual Conference.

For application criteria see the . Apply by 13 April 2025.

Fusion Power Associates is calling out for nominations for two awards:

* The 2025 Leadership and Distinguished Career Awards (nominations are sought by 1 August). No supporting material is required for these nominations, although supporting statements are appreciated.

* The 2025 Excellence in Fusion Engineering Awards (Nominations are sought by 15 August). The purpose is to recognize individuals in the early part of their careers (maximum age 42) with both technical accomplishment and demonstrated leadership qualities. Nominating material should include the candidate's bio and letters of recommendation, including at least one letter from outside the nominee's home institution. 

Nominations and nominating material should preferably be sent electronically to @email.

The purpose, criteria and list of previous recipients for all awards are posted at (click on Awards). For questions contact: @email

From 13 April to 13 October 2025, the will open its gates in Osaka, Japan. As part of the theme ¡°Designing Future Society for Our Lives,¡± 158 countries and organizations will showcase¡ªin spectacular fashion¡ªtheir cultural heritage and forward-thinking projects.

As part of the EXPO2025, ºÚÁÏÉçapp will have a prominent presence in the International Organizations Pavilion, where we will present the promise of fusion energy and the global collaboration that drives our pursuit of this transformative energy source.

Half-way through the six-month exhibition, on 13 July, ºÚÁÏÉçapp will host a special FUSION DAY in the National Day Hall with presentations, animations and video screenings.

If you are interested to visit the ºÚÁÏÉçapp exhibit or if you would like to attend the Special Fusion Day, please write to @email.

We very much look forward to seeing you in Osaka.

Sign up before 1 April 2025 for this year's ºÚÁÏÉçapp International School on the topic of "Integrated Modelling in Magnetic Fusion Plasmas." The school will take place in Aix-en-Provence, France, from 30 June to 4 July 2025.

The scientific program, with 15 lectures and a half-day planned at ºÚÁÏÉçapp, is now available on the School's . The deadline for pre-registration & abstract submission is 1 April 2025.

See this poster for distribution in your institutes and universities.

The ºÚÁÏÉçapp Business Forum 2025 (IBF/25) will take place in Marseille, France, from 23 to 25 April 2025.

Through plenary sessions, workshops, and B2B meetings, expand your network and meet key players in the fusion supply chain, from regional and international companies to innovators shaping the future of energy. Get the latest on the ºÚÁÏÉçapp baseline and procurement opportunities, and meet representatives of the private fusion sector and its supply chain needs.

A general overview of the agenda is and includes 16 themed workshops bringing together experts from many different horizons. For supply chain companies, the Forum offers the opportunity to learn about a broader range of procurement needs. For startups, it enables concentrated access to a global set of companies with fusion-specific capabilities. Registration is open now. For industrial exhibitors, the deadline for registration is 28 March 2025.

Visit the  for more information.

All interested parties are also welcome at the second Private Sector Fusion Workshop, to be hosted at the ºÚÁÏÉçapp site right before IBF/25, on 22-23 April 2025 (priority will be given to participation by private sector fusion initiatives). See all information on this website.

From 19-20 February 2025 the historic city of Aachen, Germany¡ªthe main residence of Charlemagne¡ªhosted the first binding.energy? conference, an international gathering on nuclear technology. Around 130 experts, 50 of them online, joined the discussions on the latest advancements in both fission and fusion technologies.

Organized by the German company Actimondo, provided a platform to share views on challenges and opportunities in nuclear technology such as material science, political strategy, private sector growth, regulatory framework, emerging markets, supply chain development, radiation protection, as well as workforce development and education.

ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡¯s Deputy Director Alain Becoulet presented a comprehensive project update. At its stand in the small exhibition area, ºÚÁÏÉçapp was joined by FuseNet whose Executive Officer Dario Cruz also presented education opportunities for young fusion experts in Europe.

?The name of the conference, binding.energy, stems from a phenomenon in physics which describes the smallest amount of energy required to remove a particle from a system of particles. 

Save the Date! The FuseNet PhD Event 2025 will take place at ºÚÁÏÉçapp from 4 to 6 November 2025. 

The annual PhD Event is organized by the European Fusion Education Network, , as a network event. Meet and greet fellow fusion researchers from Europe and expand your network. The event features high-profile keynote speakers, a top-notch scientific program and the much anticipate PechaKucha contest, where students present their research in 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide.  

All information will be posted on in the coming months. 

On site at ºÚÁÏÉçapp in December 2024, Jan Hosan went looking for the human in the technological. 

As a commercial photographer who specializes in technological, industrial and scientific subjects, he says he looks to brings out the "aesthetical and the exciting" in each frame, while remaining true to the subject's function. At ºÚÁÏÉçapp he captured the scale and complexity of the undertaking but also¡ªby including people at work in the shadow of giant components¡ªthe very human story.

You can scroll through his , or contact him .

We are pleased to announce the launch of an online web-shop, the ºÚÁÏÉçapp Boutique: .

Here you will be able to order ºÚÁÏÉçapp-branded clothing, office items, travel accessories and more for delivery to your home or address of choice. Boutique products range from simple pens and umbrellas to a mug featuring the Grad-Shafranov fusion equation, T-shirts illustrating the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction or the architecture of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp tokamak, and tote bags and water bottles featuring ºÚÁÏÉçapp-specific slogans and technical details.

The boutique is operated by an ºÚÁÏÉçapp contractor, Synneo. Questions about products and services can be addressed to their experts, .  Over time, we will add more items to the inventory.

Many of our followers have requested such a shop in the past. We hope you will enjoy showing your support with ºÚÁÏÉçapp-branded merchandise.

In December 2024 Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Viola Amherd, President of the Swiss Confederation in 2024, confirmed the completion of negotiations on a broad package of agreements that aim to ¡°deepen and expand the EU-Switzerland relationship.¡±

As part of the agreements, Switzerland will participate in all three pillars of Horizon Europe (the European Union's key funding program for research and innovation) and the Euratom research and training program. It is under this latter program that Switzerland participated in the ºÚÁÏÉçapp project through the European Joint Undertaking for ºÚÁÏÉçapp (Fusion for Energy) from 2014 to 2020.

The restart of Switzerland's association to the Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, and Euratom Research and Training programs is foreseen in 2025, subject to the signature of the agreement on Union programs. Switzerland's participation in Fusion for Energy is foreseen to start from 2026, and in Erasmus+ from 2027.

Switzerland will again become of Fusion for Energy, taking part in its governance and allowing Swiss companies and research centres to participate in ºÚÁÏÉçapp.

See press releases from the and the .

--European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the Swiss Confederation for 2024 Viola Amherd at a joint press conference in Bern on 20 December 2024 to announce the political agreement. (Photo credit: Keystone-SDA)

The 14th ºÚÁÏÉçapp International School (IIS) will be held from 30 June to 4 July in Aix-en-Provence, France, hosted by Aix-Marseille University. The subject of the school is "Integrated Modelling in Magnetic Fusion Plasmas."

Reliable predictions of ºÚÁÏÉçapp plasmas¡ªspanning the entire cross-section from the plasma core and scrape-off layer (SOL) to the material surface¡ªare critical for achieving ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡¯s fusion power demonstration goals. Such predictions are indispensable for defining and preparing plasma operational scenarios, analyzing the plasma pulses planned for ºÚÁÏÉçapp, and evaluating required control schemes via simulations of measurements, actuators, and plasma responses. Given the strongly nonlinear coupling of the processes that govern the behavior of burning plasmas, modeling individual processes or plasma regions in an isolated fashion is not sufficient. A holistic, integrated approach is therefore mandatory. The 2025 school will address these needs and explore the integrated modeling capabilities and validation aspects on existing facilities necessary to prepare ºÚÁÏÉçapps operation and to support ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡¯s broader scientific objectives.

All information about IIS 2025 is available at .

Download the school poster here.