The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a new Coordinated Research Project (CRP) designed to foster a global network of small and medium-scale fusion devices. The initiative aims to systematize coordinated experiments, facilitate data sharing, and validate theoretical models across multiple international facilities. This project builds directly upon the success of a previous CRP, which demonstrated the value of collaborative research in addressing key physics and technology challenges. By leveraging a diverse array of experimental hardware, the program seeks to accelerate progress on issues pertinent to next-generation machines like ITER and future fusion power plants. The renewed effort underscores the strategic importance of smaller devices in the broader fusion research ecosystem. Source: IAEA Fusion

A primary objective of the CRP is to address specific plasma physics questions that can be investigated more flexibly and cost-effectively on smaller devices than on large-scale tokamaks. These include studies of plasma-wall interactions, advanced confinement scenarios, and the testing of novel diagnostic techniques. The network structure allows for comparative studies, or benchmarking, where similar experiments are run on different machines to isolate the effects of device-specific parameters. This approach strengthens the reliability of experimental results and enhances the predictive capability of simulation codes used throughout the field. The previous iteration of the project produced a significant body of work, culminating in a special issue of the journal *Nuclear Fusion*. Source: IAEA Fusion

These include studies of plasma-wall interactions, advanced confinement scenarios, and the testing of novel diagnostic techniques.

The collaborative framework is also a critical tool for human resource development within the fusion community. Smaller experimental facilities provide an essential training ground for students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career engineers, offering hands-on operational experience that is difficult to obtain at larger, more oversubscribed national laboratories. By connecting these institutions, the IAEA's CRP facilitates knowledge transfer and helps cultivate the skilled workforce required to design, build, and operate future fusion power systems. This educational component is an explicit goal of the project, ensuring a pipeline of talent for both public and private sector fusion science endeavors. Source: IAEA Fusion

Participation in the CRP provides member institutions with a formal mechanism for joint experimental planning and execution. The project will coordinate research campaigns focused on high-priority topics identified by the international fusion community. Results from these coordinated experiments will be compiled into a shared database, providing a valuable resource for validating theoretical models and guiding the operational scenarios of future devices. The initiative represents a strategic, multilateral approach to fusion R&D, pooling intellectual and hardware resources to tackle complex problems more efficiently than any single institution could alone. The ongoing project will continue to support this model of distributed, collaborative government-backed research. Source: IAEA Fusion