Multilateral International DONES Agreement signed

It’s a historic step for fusion and international scientific cooperation. Fusion for Energy (F4E), representing the European Commission and Member States’ contribution, together with Spain, Japan, Croatia, Italy have signed the Multilateral International DONES Agreement (MIDA).

The pact lays the groundwork for the construction of IFMIF-DONES, a world-leading facility in Granada (Spain) to test materials for future fusion reactors. With the signature, the parties reinforce their commitment to accelerating the development of fusion, a clean, safe and reliable energy source for the future.

The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and University, in Madrid, by Marc Lachaise, Director of F4E; Ángel Ibarra, Director of IFMIF-DONES Spain; David M. Smith, Director of the Ruđer Bošković Institute (Croatia); Koyasu Shigeo, President of QST (Japan); and Diego Bettoni, Vice President of INFN (Italy).

The MIDA gives a legal framework to the international collaboration that drives the DONES Programme. It sets the governance, the in-kind and financial contributions, management principles and tools, as well as provisions like the intellectual property policy.

Building and commissioning IFMIF-DONES will mobilise investments from the parties.  Through Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU will provide 25% of the construction costs, an investment of 202 million EUR. The European contribution will include advanced technologies like the particle accelerator (building on the LIPAc prototype). Spain will be the main contributor, with 55% of the costs. Italy (8%), Japan (5.1%) and Croatia (5%) also committed their shares.

Marc Lachaise, Director of F4E, commented that this agreement “expresses our commitment to pursue the potential of fusion energy together so that we can offer sustainable power to future generations. F4E will support DONES in this endeavour by providing its expertise to deliver part of the project, and offering its vast experience in international fusion projects.” 

Eva Ortega, the Spanish Secretary General for Research, confirmed that with the signing of the MIDA, “Spain is taking on a leading role in fusion research in Europe and worldwide,” adding that our country “is prepared to take on that challenge and is firmly committed to delivering with all the partners in this agreement.”

Angel Ibarra, Director of IFMIF-DONES España, stated that this agreement “is the culmination of years of collaboration, turning vision into reality. Spain’s 55% commitment reflects its confidence in science and global partnerships. With construction set to begin imminently, we are building hope and a new energy paradigm for future generations.”

David M. Smith, Director of the Ruđer Bošković Institute, emphasised that this agreement “demonstrates the power of international cooperation to accelerate fusion research. For the RBI, it is a recognition of Croatian scientific excellence and a further step towards Europe’s leading research infrastructures. We are proud to contribute to building a cleaner and more sustainable energy future together with our global partners.”

Koyasu Shigeo, President of QST, explained that “together with the ITER project and Broader Approach activities, QST considers the DONES programme to be an important pillar of international collaboration, and QST will promote it in cooperation with the relevant parties.”

Finally, Diego Bettoni, Vice President of INFN,  acknowledged today’s event  “is a crucial milestone for the development of fusion energy. Italy, through INFN and ENEA, is proud to be part of DONES, a project that consolidates collaboration with international institutions and leverages their technological expertise in this field.”

The signature event was followed by the meeting of the DONES Steering Committee, with representatives from 17 countries, along with delegates from the European Commission, F4E and EUROfusion. The delegates heard about the progress of the programme in aspects like safety, design and procurement arrangements.