Key enabling technologies for fusion power plants (European Partnership on Fusion Energy)

Expected Outcome:

The action is expected to mature and demonstrate (TRL 6-8) innovative technologies in one of the key areas set out under the scope of the topic:

• developing and advancing the technology readiness of innovative individual components and/or integrated systems that perform the key functions of fusion power plants (FPPs), in line with the key area targeted;
• testing the innovative components and/or systems developed in close-to-real-life conditions, demonstrating the ability to deliver fusion-grade components and/or systems;
• providing a credible business case, clarifying the potential and perspectives for commercialisation of the components and/or systems developed, and showing the benefits for the competitiveness and growth of EU companies from the fusion field.

Scope:

to ensure a successful transition to commercially viable fusion power plants, the Commission is establishing a co-programmed public-private partnership, maximising the convergence of publicly funded action and privately led initiatives. This European Partnership on Fusion Energy is being established with the support of a coordination and support action funded under the Euratom programme. It will contribute to the EU’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness.

The EU can build on an extensive record of scientific endeavours and achievements in the field of fusion. The EU’s major contribution to the ITER ^[1] project and the successful development of the EUROfusion ^[2] co-funded partnership clearly illustrate this record. However, despite recent advances and encouraging results (notably in the field of magnetic confinement ^[3]), further innovation is needed in key areas with a view to the commercial deployment of FPPs.

Delivering innovation in these key areas is not only an opportunity to help the fusion sector consolidate in the EU but will also increase the maturity of technologies (e.g. plasma heating and current drive, high-temperature superconducting magnets, advanced monitoring and control solutions, and robotics) that could be applied in other fields.

Actions funded under this topic are expected to address one of the following key technology areas ^[4]:

• plasma heating and current drive;
• high-temperature superconducting magnets;
• diagnostics and control.

Proposals should clearly indicate which one of these key areas they address.

Actions funded under the topic should perform activities to address critical gaps in the selected key area:

• heating and current drive: delivering and demonstrating high-performance, compact, efficient and cost-effective heating and current-drive technologies for FPPs (e.g. gyrotrons and neutral-beam injectors) that can operate reliably in a harsh reactor environment (e.g. high neutron flux and heat loads);
• high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets: delivering and demonstrating HTS magnet technologies that enable stronger, smaller and more efficient magnetic confinement, with high resistance to mechanical stress and degradation under neutron irradiation and also opening the way for large-scale and cost-effective manufacturing.
• diagnostics and control: delivering and demonstrating (hardware and software) components and systems that enable enhanced monitoring and management of FPPs operation (e.g., for magnetic confinement, mitigation of edge-localised modes and runaway electrons), relying, for example, on AI-driven control systems, advanced modelling and simulation, and innovative sensors.

For this purpose, and for the key area targeted, proposals should:

• clarify the technology gaps / bottlenecks addressed by the proposed projects, demonstrating a thorough understanding both of the needs and drivers towards viable FPPs and of the state of the art for the considered key area;
• set out the envisioned technology advances, making clear how the proposed innovation would improve the performance of the components and/or systems developed (relying as much as possible on quantitative targets and / or key performance indicators);
• describe in detail the approaches to testing and demonstrating the components and/or systems developed, clearly indicating both the technology readiness level targeted and the process by which technology maturation will be monitored;
• enable close cooperation between public research and private companies (start-ups, SMEs and industry). This should materialise in the composition of the consortium and in the proposed project’s activities;
• demonstrate the business potential of the proposed innovation, within and (where relevant) also beyond the fusion field, including its potential to support EU’s energy security independence and competitiveness, by contributing to the achievement of the commercialisation of fusion energy;
• where relevant, demonstrate a thorough understanding of the safety constraints pertaining to the deployment in FPPs of the components and/or systems developed;
• where relevant, outline how the proposed work would build on, and articulate with, the results and activities of other relevant EU initiatives (e.g. the EUROfusion partnership and the Fusion4Energy joint undertaking ^[5]).

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Fusion Energy ^[6]

[1] https://www.iter.org/

[2] https://euro-fusion.org/

[3] E.g., world record fusion plasma, https://euro-fusion.org/member-news/cea/world-record-fusion-plasma-in-europe/

[4] The key technology areas targeted in this topics have been selected on the basis of previous studies and consultations (e.g., Analysis on a strategic public-private partnership approach to foster innovation in fusion energy, see https://link.europa.eu/NM9WqM, and the Interim evaluation of the 2021-2025 Euratom research and training programme (Staff Working Document), see https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025SC0054). They are aligned with early findings in the preparation of the Fusion PPP’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, at the time this Work Programme was finalised.

[5] https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/

[6] It is expected that the co-programmed European Partnership on Fusion Energy will be established and its strategic research and innovation agenda (SRIA) will be available at the time the call opens. Proposals should therefore explain how the proposed action aligns with the SRIA’s technology priorities and proposed projects should include activities to contribute to the European Partnership on Fusion Energy (e.g. contributing to the monitoring of the Partnership, supporting the Partnership’s communication and dissemination activities, and ensuring an effective liaison with the Partnership’s Board and the European Commission).