F4E signs collaboration agreement with Proxima Fusion

Fusion for Energy (F4E) has signed its first collaboration agreement with Proxima fusion, the German start-up, a spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, which has recently successfully raised an additional 130 million EUR in capital, exceeding 185 million EUR in funds. The collaborative framework results from an F4E Expression of Interest open to private fusion initiatives based in the EU-27.  In line with F4E’s new vision, the aim of the scheme is to bring public and private initiatives closer to collaborate better, exchange expertise in areas of mutual interest and ultimately boost Europe’s fusion capabilities.

The agreement sets a framework of cooperation with no funding transferred between the two parties. It foresees exchanges of information and best practices, insight to key fusion technologies. The topics addressed will reflect the evolving needs and priorities of the parties through a dynamic and flexible work environment. Some of the topics to be addressed include the specificities of procuring first-of-a-kind components, civil engineering, AI, metrology, quality systems and various fusion technologies.

The value of this agreement was extensively discussed at the F4E Roundtable, which offered a platform to Europe’s fusion community to express its opinion on the future strategy. According to the Director of F4E, Marc Lachaise, “There is a real opportunity to inject more dynamism into the fusion ecosystem and strengthen it with the knowledge and experience that F4E has acquired over the years, in particular thanks to ITER.  We are eager to explore the best ways forward to support the growth of private fusion initiatives, whilst learning from their innovative approaches in fusion.”  

Lucio Milanese, Chief Operating Officer of Proxima Fusion responded saying: “We believe Europe has what it takes to lead the world in commercial fusion energy – not only through breakthrough science and technologies, but through an extraordinary ecosystem of industrial capabilities. That’s why we’re excited to announce our Cooperation Agreement with Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU organisation managing Europe’s contribution to ITER, the world’s largest fusion experiment.”

Rolling out this initiative required strategic thinking and the collaboration of different F4E teams to create a mutually beneficial framework. As F4E prepares to sign more of these collaboration agreements in future, we spoke to Pierre-Yves Chaffard, F4E Projects Department Adviser, who was entrusted with the development of this scheme. “The lessons we have learned from ITER are of immense value because they address the key areas of any new fusion project: procurement, management, safety, manufacturing and delivery. We have gone through a fascinating learning curve, and we can offer third parties with a lot of experience which they can build on. Through these exchanges we all come out stronger and better prepared,” he explained.