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EUROFUSION

Eurofusion
eurofusion project logo
Classification: 
international research
Programme: 
Horizon 2020
Call: 
EURATOM
Main ERC field: 
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Unict role: 
Partner
Duration (months): 
60
Start date: 
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
End date: 
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Total cost: 
€ 856.961.937,00
Unict cost: 
€ 81.000,00
Coordinator: 
Max Planck gesellschaft zur forderung der wissenschaften ev (Germania)
Principal investigator in Unict: 
Luigi Fortuna
University department involved: 
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering
Participants: 

Oesterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Austria), Ecole Royale Militaire - Koninklijke Militaire School (Belgium), Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria), Ruder Boskovic Institute (Croatia), University of Cyprus (Cyprus), ústav fyziky plazmatu av čr, v. v. i. (Czechia), Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (Denmark), tartu ulikool (estonia), teknologian tutkimuskeskus vtt (finland), teknologian tutkimuskeskus vtt oy (finland), commissariat a l energie atomique et aux energies alternatives (france), forschungszentrum julich gmbh (germany), karlsruher institut fuer technologie (germany), national center for scientific research "demokritos" (greece), magyar tudomanyos akademia wigner fizikai kutatokozpont (hungary), dublin city university (ireland), agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile (italy), latvijas universitates cietvielu fizikas instituts (latvia), lietuvos energetikos institutas (lithuania), stichting nederlandse wetenschappelijk onderzoek instituten (netherlands), instytut fizyki plazmy i laserowejmikrosyntezy im. sylwestra kaliskiego (poland), instituto superior tecnico (portugal), institutul de fizica atomica (romania), univerzita komenskeho v bratislave (slovakia), institut jozef stefan (slovenia), centro de investigaciones energeticas, medioambientales y tecnologicas-ciemat (spain), vetenskapsradet - swedish research council (sweden), ecole polytechnique federale de lausanne (switzerland), united kingdom atomic energy authority (united kingdom), national science center kharkov institute of physics and technology (ukraine)

Abstract

A Roadmap to the realization of fusion energy was adopted by the EFDA system at the end of 2012. The roadmap aims at achieving all the necessary know-how to start the construction of a demonstration power plant (DEMO) by 2030, in order to reach the goal of fusion electricity in the grid by 2050. The roadmap has been articulated in eight different Missions. The present proposal has the goal of implementing the activities described in the Roadmap during Horizon 2020 through a joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion Consortium.  ITER is the key facility in the roadmap. Thus, ITER success remains the most important overarching objective of the programme and, in the present proposal the vast majority of resources in Horizon 2020 are devoted to ensure that ITER is built within scope, time and budget; its operation is properly prepared; and a new generation of scientists and engineers is properly educated (at undergraduate and PhD level) and trained (at postdoctoral level) for its exploitation. DEMO is the only step between ITER and a commercial fusion power plant. To achieve the goal of fusion electricity demonstration by 2050, DEMO construction has to begin in the early 2030s at the latest, to allow the start of operation in the early 2040s. DEMO cannot be defined and designed by research laboratories alone, but requires the full involvement of industry in all technological and systems aspects of the design. Specific provisions for the involvement of industry in the Consortium activities are envisaged.