Celebrating 10 years of F4E

This was the event to pay tribute to the work of F4E staff, acknowledge the contribution of various companies and laboratories that we have been collaborating with, and finally, thank our stakeholders for their support. Under the same roof, more than 500 people gathered to celebrate Europe’s involvement in ITER and F4E’s role in making this a reality.

A clip narrating the potential of fusion energy set the scene and invited all attendees to take distance from the daily challenges we face and to see the big picture. An emotional tour de force asking all of us “what is this energy that we are trying to harness and can it change the future?” The people appearing in the clip were some of our members of staff, who kindly accepted to be filmed both in office and outside. (scroll down to view the video)

The Director of F4E, Johannes Schwemmer opened his addresses by saying “few projects in the world combine such ambition, cutting-edge science and technology and energy for future generations. Only by working together we will deliver fusion as a sustainable energy for the future.” To introduce each speaker we asked members of staff from different teams and countries to act as masters of ceremony. They gave a more personal touch to the event with their presence and voice reflecting our collective efforts. European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, highlighted the human capital behind this one-of-kind project and wanted to “praise the work of so-many scientists and engineers, and the fact that countries, industries and research centres are working together to translate a common vision into a reality.” The Mayor of the city of Barcelona, Ada Colau, explained that it was “an honour to host the European Agency and this was also proof of Barcelona’s commitment to science and innovation.” For Spain’s Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, ITER will “also open the door to the commercialisation of fusion energy by laying the industrial foundations in each of its parties.”

A clip summarising the technical achievements in different factories and facilities (scroll down for the video) offered a smooth transition to the business aspect of ITER. Under the skillful moderation of Valerie Jamieson, New Scientist’s Editorial Content Director, who warmed up the audience by reminding us all of the value of big science projects acting as wheels of change, she invited on stage François Darchis, Senior Vice-President of Air Liquide; Thörsten Lower, Chief of Development, Equipment and Technology of Probeam; Rafael Triviño, General Manager of ENSA, and Sibylle Günter, Scientific Director of Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. The participants explained how Europe’s participation in ITER offered them the possibility to demonstrate their know-how and improve it, grow and tap on new markets and above all, collaborate.

The event closed with an emotional 10 year anniversary clip which gathered wishes from all over the world from ITER Parties, stakeholders and big science projects. A big puzzle made out of the faces of many of our members of staff was the final image. (scroll down to see the video).

The F4E anniversary concluded with a cocktail, where guests were invited to visit an exhibition with the history of the site, the progress of the various components and the contribution of our industrial partners. We would like to thank all guests for honorouning F4E with their presence and all members of staff for making our 10-year anniversary a night to remember!

To view some of the pictures taken during the event click her