ºÚÁÏÉçapp

Since 2019, ºÚÁÏÉçapp Japan has been publishing a manga series that brings the ºÚÁÏÉçapp project to life for a broad audience. 

The story follows Japanese student Taiy? Tenna, who discovers ºÚÁÏÉçapp while on a world tour after meeting a French student in Aix-en-Provence. His journey continues through an internship experience at ºÚÁÏÉçapp, and then as he returns to Japan to learn more about the advanced fusion technologies developed by Japan¡¯s Domestic Agency for the project. In the eighth volume, just released, he has become a staff member at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), where he learns about ºÚÁÏÉçapp's new baseline scope and schedule and the ways in which Japan's flagship fusion device, JT-60SA is participating.

Explore all volumes of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp manga series on the or download Volume 8 from ºÚÁÏÉçapp's Publication Centre. Editions are available in Japanese, English, French and ... Proven?al.

Registration is open now for the third ºÚÁÏÉçapp Public-Private Fusion Workshop that will be organized on 28 and 29 April 2026 at the ºÚÁÏÉçapp site in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France.

For the past two years, ºÚÁÏÉçapp has opened its doors to private sector fusion companies for joint workshops on areas of mutual interest and mechanisms for positive engagement. This year¡¯s theme¡ª¡°Fusion: a Joint Quest¡±¡ªreflects the reality that progress toward fusion energy is neither linear nor uniform, but pursued through multiple technical approaches, institutional models, and timelines. Across public and private efforts alike, divergent visions coexist with genuinely complementary strengths¡ªin science, engineering, manufacturing, and systems integration.

See the detailed agenda on the workshop website under Program (scroll down). On the day before or after the workshop¡ªMonday, 27 April and/or Thursday, 30 April¡ªparticipants may arrange consultations with ºÚÁÏÉçapp experts, customized tours of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp worksite, and opportunities for networking and discussion with fellow attendees.

The IEEE Nuclear Plasma Science Society (NPSS) Fusion Technology Standing Committee is pleased to announce that the nomination period for the 2026 Fusion Technology Award is now open. The award will be presented during the 32nd Symposium on Fusion Engineering (SOFE 2027) in San Diego, California, in June 2027.

The Fusion Technology Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to research and development in the field of fusion technology. The awards each consist of a USD 3,000 cash prize, a plaque, and an invited talk at SOFE 2027.

Equal consideration will be given to innovation across all fusion approaches and outstanding leadership in the fusion community. Any person, regardless of Society affiliation, is eligible for the award, with the exception that no current member of the IEEE/NPSS Standing Committee on Fusion Technology may be nominated. The nomination package should be sent to the Fusion Technology Committee Awards Chair, Dr. Trey Gebhart (@email), and it should consist of a letter describing the technical contributions on which the nomination is recommended and a current resume of the candidate. Other supporting endorsements are encouraged.

For more detailed information on eligibility criteria, the basis for judging, nomination process and a list of past award recipients, please visit this  and go to the ¡°Fusion Technology Awards¡± section. The nomination deadline for the 2026 Fusion Technology Award is 13 March 2026.

A new exhibition at the , Moscow, celebrates the life and work of Evgeny Velikhov, a major figure in the history of fusion research and, as Mikhail Gorbachev¡¯s friend and scientific advisor, one of the driving forces behind the creation of ºÚÁÏÉçapp.

¡°Evgeny Velikhov was an extraordinary individual, with a brilliant mind, unwavering integrity, and visionary outlook,¡± wrote ºÚÁÏÉçapp Director-General Pietro Barabaschi in his message to staff and stakeholders after the scientist's passing in 2024, just months before his 90th birthday.

The , At the Center of Science and Society: Evgeny Velikhov, retraces the extraordinary career of this eminent Soviet and Russian scientist and polymath. Appointed scientific director of fusion research in the USSR in 1973, Velikhov played a central role in advancing the field. He later led the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, first as director and subsequently as president. From 2010 to 2012, he served as Chair of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp Council and was later appointed an Honorary Member in recognition of his lasting contributions.

The exposition runs from 3 February to 2 March 2026. Further information is available .

--Source: ATOM Museum, Moscow

In Season 3, Episode 6 of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp podcast, we meet the "guardian of fusion"¡ªthe extraordinary blanket system that shields our "star in a bottle." Guided by warrior and dragon imagery inspired by Chinese legend, and some very down to earth engineering, podcast hosts Kruti Fayot and Julia Ponomareva explore how ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡¯s blanket and tungsten first wall protect the machine, tame furious neutrons, and quietly turn a raging plasma into something as familiar as hot water in a kettle.

Mechanical engineer Jinke Fu introduces Nezha, a mythical Chinese rebel guardian, while ºÚÁÏÉçapp experts Ryan Hunt, Sophie Carpentier, and Silvia di Sarra reveal how real world guardians are built: from armor like tungsten tiles and ultraprecise assembly to world record plasma shots and global collaborations from EAST to WEST. If you¡¯ve ever wondered how you stop particles that could reach the Moon and back in seconds, or why choosing the ¡°right¡± wall material is like choosing a life partner, this episode is for you¡ªpart myth, part cutting-edge science, and a love letter to the star that started it all: the Sun.

Tune into Episode 6, "The Guardian of Fusion," on the ºÚÁÏÉçapp website's podcast page or open it directly here. You can also find this episode and all past episodes of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp podcast at , , , and . 

Candidates holding a PhD in science, technology, or engineering whose expertise aligns with the needs of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp project may be eligible for a two-year postdoctoral position at the ºÚÁÏÉçapp.

For the 2026 recruitment campaign, seventeen research topics have been published across a wide range of fields, including integrated plasma scenario design and transport modelling, artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies for fusion systems, diagnostics calibration and validation, and robotics and automated handling (see the full list here).

Selected fellows will work closely with ºÚÁÏÉçapp specialists during a two-year appointment and contribute to the project through original, cutting-edge research.

The current selection process aims to fill eight postdoctoral fellowships¡ªfive Monaco-ºÚÁÏÉçapp fellowships and three Korea-ºÚÁÏÉçapp fellowships¡ªand to establish a reserve list of qualified candidates for future openings.

The deadline for applications is 1 March 2026. To apply, see the JOBS page of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp website, or consult the Postdoctoral Fellowships page for detailed information about the program. 

Watch as one-ninth of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp vacuum vessel is lifted out of tooling and lowered into the machine assembly pit. The operation¡ªwhich took place over two days in January¡ªtested, once again, the accuracy of the metrology system and the navigation skills of the assembly team (read more here). Vacuum vessel sector module #8 joins modules #5, #6 and #7 to form nearly one-half of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp plasma chamber. Three more of these incredible "lifts" are expected this year.

Fusion for Energy¡ªthe European Union organization managing Europe¡¯s contribution to ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡ªis organizing an Energy Summer School at its headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, from 15 to 19 June 2026. 

The curriculum covers a broad spectrum of topics, beginning with energy fundamentals and the operation of electrical grids, and extending to the study of diverse energy sources, their environmental impact, and the geopolitics of energy. The objective is to equip participants with the knowledge and the analytical tools necessary to understand the complexity of today's energy challenges, while preparing them to contribute effectively to the sustainable transition of our societies.

The summer school is designed for European Union citizens attending PhD or Master's courses in engineering, natural sciences, economy or political sciences. Whether you hope to work in engineering, science, finance, procurement, policymaking or communication, the program will provide insight into the technical, environmental, and regulatory dimensions that drive investment decisions, supply strategies, and political agendas.  

More information about applying to the program can be downloaded . Applications close on 31 March.

Originally filmed on site at ºÚÁÏÉçapp in May 2025, this video has been updated with new footage of the tokamak pit from December (¨C). A third of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp plasma chamber is now in place, and the installation of a fourth sector is imminent. Fly above, and into, the modules of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp vacuum vessel, or¡ªif you haven't already seen it¡ªwatch the rest of the video to see how the ºÚÁÏÉçapp machine and plant are coming together on a 180-hectare site in southern France.

The final design review has been completed and manufacturing of Europe¡¯s first ºÚÁÏÉçapp gyrotrons is set to begin. This marks another key milestone for the Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) system that will be used to heat the ºÚÁÏÉçapp plasma to more than 100 million degrees Celsius and sustain fusion reactions.

Gyrotrons essentially convert electricity into high-frequency microwaves that will transfer energy to plasma electrons once injected into the tokamak. Initially, there were plans for 24 gyrotrons at ºÚÁÏÉçapp and the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy, was responsible for supplying six of them . However, when the new baseline was introduced in 2024, the number of gyrotrons was increased to 48 at the Start of Research Operation phase, with another 24 scheduled to be added once deuterium-tritium testing begins. With the wider use of gyrotrons, Europe will produce more units.

Learn more about the preparations for gyrotron manufacturing .

(Pictured is work on the gyrotron prototype done in 2022.) 

Under the editorial lead of EUROfusion, the ºÚÁÏÉçapp Engineering Basis Handbook delivers a stand-alone compilation of ºÚÁÏÉçapp design principles, the underlying technical design basis and its evolution from conception to construction, together with the technical, scientific, and regulatory rationale behind the major decisions. It facilitates the access and understanding of the project¡¯s technological journey by consolidating the information from a multitude of sources. It aims at securing the lessons learned, the return of experience, and the knowledge transfer from the world's largest fusion project, drawing from the direct experience of knowledgeable experts who have worked on ºÚÁÏÉçapp, for the benefit of fusion professionals inside and outside of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp project and the next generation.

See the first chapters of Volume 1, "Genesis, Design and Evolution" on the ºÚÁÏÉçapp Technical Reports pages of the public website.
 

The third ºÚÁÏÉçapp Public-Private Fusion Workshop will be organized on 28 and 29 April 2026 at the ºÚÁÏÉçapp site in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France.

For the past two years, ºÚÁÏÉçapp has opened its doors to private sector fusion companies for joint workshops on areas of mutual interest and mechanisms for positive engagement. This year¡¯s theme¡ª¡°Fusion: a Joint Quest¡±¡ªreflects the reality that progress toward fusion energy is neither linear nor uniform, but pursued through multiple technical approaches, institutional models, and timelines. Across public and private efforts alike, divergent visions coexist with genuinely complementary strengths¡ªin science, engineering, manufacturing, and systems integration.

The two-day workshop will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday (28 and 29 April), with Monday 27 April and Thursday 30 April set aside for consultations with ºÚÁÏÉçapp experts, tailored tours of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp worksite, and interactions among participants. Registration will open soon on the Events page of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp website.

Recruitment opened on Monday 12 January 2026 for eight Postdoctoral Fellowships at the ºÚÁÏÉçapp.

If you are an outstanding PhD graduate in science, technology, and engineering whose expertise aligns with the needs of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp project, you may be eligible for a two-year postdoctoral position at the ºÚÁÏÉçapp, where you will work closely with ºÚÁÏÉçapp specialists and contribute to the project through original research.

The eight Postdoctoral Fellowships are proposed through two different funding schemes: 

Monaco/ºÚÁÏÉçapp Postdoctoral Fellowships (5 positions)
The Principality of Monaco is providing the financing for five Postdoctoral Fellowships through a Partnership Arrangement signed with the ºÚÁÏÉçapp in 2008 and renewed in 2018. You can apply to a Monaco/ºÚÁÏÉçapp Postdoctoral Fellowship if: 1) you are a national of China, the European Union plus Switzerland, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, the United States, or the Principality of Monaco; and 2) your PhD was awarded after 1 January 2023 (or you will have received your PhD before 31 December 2026).

Korea-ºÚÁÏÉçapp Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (3 positions)
Through an agreement signed between the ºÚÁÏÉçapp and the Korean Domestic Agency, ºÚÁÏÉçapp Korea directly funds scientific or technical fellowships in fields of mutual interest and with a view to contributing to training the talent that will be needed for the fusion industry of the future. To apply for a Korea-ºÚÁÏÉçapp Postdoctoral Research Fellowship you must be a Korean postdoctoral researcher.

The application process for both Fellowship categories is the same: after verifying that you have relevant experience in one or more of the 2026 research topics, apply by 1 March 2026 through the ºÚÁÏÉçapp Jobs portal.

See this ºÚÁÏÉçapp webpage for more information. 

The is underway at the MAST Upgrade facility at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in England. This latest campaign will focus on advancing understanding of high-pressure fusion plasma, optimising plasma control and energy confinement, refining advanced divertor designs for heat exhaust management, and validating predictive tools used to model plasma behaviour in future fusion power plants.

The Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) Upgrade, which became operational in 2020, is the world¡¯s largest active spherical tokamak. Its test campaigns will inform the construction of the that is scheduled to begin operations in 2040.

The latest research phase will last six months and involve 950 plasma pulses. More than 200 international researchers will be involved in the experiments and the results will contribute to the growing global body of experimental fusion data.

The 360¡ã virtual tour of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp construction site has been updated with a new set of photos¡ªdrone footage from December 2025 that shows three vacuum vessel sector modules in the tokamak pit. Click on and rotate the new photos in the Tokamak Pit gallery to see one-third of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp plasma chamber from every angle.

Accessible from the NEWS & MEDIA pages of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp website or by clicking on the link below, the 2D tour requires no special equipment to enjoy. If you do have 3D glasses, click on the yellow goggle symbol at the top of any screen.

to see the latest 360¡ã ºÚÁÏÉçapp virtual tour.

The EU Fusion Safety and Regulation Course 2026, organized by the Clean Air Task Force in partnership with the Xcitech School on Science and Technology, offers professionals an opportunity to learn from leading experts¡ªincluding specialists from the ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡ªabout safety and regulatory considerations for fusion facilities. The three-day course will also cover important safety topics that apply to lab-scale fusion research today such as tritium handling and management of cryogenic systems.

Topics include case studies in safety and licensing in multiple facilities across Europe, the latest developments in the regulatory landscape in Europe and the United States, tritium safety and management, activated material safety and activated waste management, and safety practices at lab-scale fusion facilities and major accelerator facilities.

The course will take place at the headquarters of Fusion for Energy in Barcelona, Spain, 17 to 19 February 2026. Learn more .

The prize-winning Turkmenistan team from the (IPhO) arrived at ºÚÁÏÉçapp on 18 December for a special presentation of the project and tour of the site.

The visit was part of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp-sponsored prize given for diversity at the IPhO, with Turkmenistan being the best-ranked team that had at least two women and two men. 

The IPhO is open to students under the age of 20 who have not yet entered university. The Turkmenistan team featured Nurgeldi Annagurdov (17), Dovlet Annamyradov (17), and the sisters Aysenem Kakamyradova (17) and Mahriban Kakamyradova (18). Along with being part of the team that won the ºÚÁÏÉçapp prize, Aysenem Kakamyradova also won .

The delegation from Turkmenistan included the students¡¯ high school teacher, Kerim Cherkezov, and their physics advisor, Allamyrat Amanmadov of Turkmen State University.

While on site, the team received special diplomas of recognition from ºÚÁÏÉçapp Deputy Director General Luo Delong and a private presentation of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp project given by ºÚÁÏÉçapp¡¯s Deputy Director General-Chief Scientist Alain B¨¦coulet and Alexander Alekseev, the Deputy Head of Science & Integration. Alain B¨¦coulet said these sorts of initiatives to recognize emerging talent were essential for ºÚÁÏÉçapp. ¡°They are 17 and 18 years old. They are the future of fusion.¡±

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a new platform that will serve as a central hub for information on the fusion sector.

IAEA¡¯s FUSE Fusion CONNECT platform was officially launched on 4 December 2025. It aims to make it easier for IAEA¡¯s 180 member states to follow developments in the fusion sector and access tools such as the and the journal. The platform is also in the process of compiling a public directory of fusion organizations and .

The IAEA noted that the momentum in fusion energy¡ªfrom record-breaking achievements in the public sector to the thriving private sector¡ªmeant that collaborative tools such as FUSE are more important than ever.

Discover .

In a continuation of the merriest of traditions, ºÚÁÏÉçapp has released its annual holiday greeting card. This year, the card was designed by Natacha Roux and Philippe Cathala of IN-MEDIAPROD, who sought to give the video card an original twist by using AI tools to virtually decorate the Assembly Building and other ºÚÁÏÉçapp locations.

¡°We wanted to do something extraordinary this year and since artificial intelligence is everywhere now, we thought we could apply it to the card,¡± says Natacha.

You can .

Over the years, the ºÚÁÏÉçapp holiday card has evolved from a simple e-card to more elaborate video productions such as or .

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