The International Atomic Energy Agency's fusion programme — convening the Fusion Energy Conference, maintaining global databases, and setting coordinated research priorities for the international fusion community.
The Fusion Energy Division sits within the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Its mandate is to foster international collaboration in fusion research and development, provide a neutral platform for information exchange among member states, and maintain technical databases and standards relevant to fusion science and engineering.[1]
The IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, held biennially since 1961, is the premier international venue for presenting advances in plasma physics, fusion technology, and reactor design. FEC attracts more than 1,000 participants from ITER parties and beyond, with proceedings published as open-access IAEA documents. The conference rotates among member states and serves as a de facto checkpoint for global progress toward commercial fusion.[2]
The division maintains several key resources: the Fusion Device Information System (FusDIS), cataloguing operational and planned fusion experiments globally; atomic and molecular data compilations essential for plasma diagnostics; and nuclear cross-section databases relevant to D-T and advanced-fuel reactions. Coordinated Research Projects (CRPs) bring together teams from multiple countries to address specific technical gaps, such as plasma-wall interaction or neutronics validation.[3]
Although the IAEA does not directly fund or construct fusion devices, it provides a governance framework for international agreements (including ITER's founding treaty) and publishes safety guides applicable to fusion facilities. The Agency's Nuclear Fusion journal, operated in partnership with the community, remains a leading peer-reviewed publication in the field.