IAEA Expands Global Fusion Research Network with New Project

The new CRP will continue supporting coordinated experiments, knowledge sharing and workforce development, helping countries strengthen their fusion research capabilities.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a new Coordinated Research Project (CRP) to strengthen global cooperation in fusion research, expand access to experimental facilities and help train the next generation of fusion scientists.

The initiative builds on the success of an earlier five-year programme that connected research institutions across the world through shared experiments, advanced diagnostics and technical training. As more countries explore fusion as a future source of clean, reliable energy, the IAEA says international collaboration is becoming increasingly important for developing skilled researchers and advancing scientific knowledge.

The new CRP will continue supporting coordinated experiments, knowledge sharing and workforce development, helping countries strengthen their fusion research capabilities.

Small fusion devices play a vital role

Although major international facilities such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) remain central to fusion research, the IAEA says small and medium-sized fusion devices are equally valuable because they provide flexible and accessible platforms for testing new ideas, developing technologies and training researchers.

The previous CRP, which concluded in 2026, brought together 24 institutions from 18 countries through 17 research contracts, six research agreements and one technical contract. The collaboration linked 14 laboratories operating tokamaks, stellarators, plasma focus devices and linear plasma devices.

Researchers from Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine and the United Kingdom worked together on experiments covering plasma physics, technology development, computer modelling and researcher training.

IAEA Physical and Chemical Sciences Division Director Tzanka Kokalova Wheldon said the agency's coordinated research projects create unique opportunities for laboratories around the world to share expertise and carry out experiments that would be difficult to achieve independently.

Joint experiments advance fusion science

The project supported international studies on plasma turbulence, magnetohydrodynamic activity, plasma heating, edge physics and plasma-wall interactions, with many of the findings contributing to research relevant to ITER and future fusion power plants.

The project's major achievement was a coordinated experimental campaign at the TJ-II stellarator in Spain, where scientists from several countries collaborated on research into plasma transport, turbulence, electric fields and diagnostic techniques.

The CRP also delivered advances in fusion diagnostics and modelling. Researchers developed new soft X-ray tomography systems, microwave diagnostic tools and machine learning methods to analyse plasma behaviour more effectively. Studies on plasma-facing materials also improved understanding of how liquid lithium, tin and tungsten components perform under the extreme conditions expected inside future fusion reactors.

Training future fusion researchers

A major focus of the project was building scientific capacity in countries with both established and emerging fusion programmes. The IAEA coordinated international schools, workshops, student exchanges and hands-on research activities that allowed young scientists to gain practical experience in plasma physics and advanced diagnostic techniques.

Participating institutions also organised summer schools, regional workshops and university programmes linking classroom learning with experimental research. Small and medium-sized fusion devices proved especially valuable for this work by giving students direct access to research facilities where they could develop technical skills.

The IAEA says the new Coordinated Research Project will continue expanding this global network, strengthening collaboration between laboratories while helping countries develop the expertise needed to support the future of fusion energy.