EUROfusion signs Horizon Europe Grant Agreement

The continuation of the EUROfusion project within the European Framework Programme  2021 – 2027, Horizon Europe, was signed on the 15th December 2021. The General Secretariat for Research and Innovation has mandated the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSRD) for the Management of the Greek participation in the common European effort aiming for Fusion electricity production. In this project, co-funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation and the European Commission, in addition to NCSRD eight affiliated Greek Universities participate. In the next seven years Greek scientists together with their colleagues from the other European Institutions will participate in different research areas with the final goal to develop fusion for energy.

The research activities of the Fusion Technology Group of NCSRD, with the participation of three NCSRD Institutes, will be focused on

• radiation damage studies of fusion materials and the assessment of radiation effects on the physical, structural and mechanical properties of materials aiming at the development of radiation resistant materials to sustain the extreme conditions encountered in fusion, 
• investigation of fuel retention, material migration and surface erosion in plasma facing materials for understanding plasma-wall interaction,
• radiological characterization of fusion materials,
• development of neutron detectors for the breeding blanket,  
• neutron transport and radiological calculations and measurements for benchmarking of codes and nuclear data for fusion
• the estimation of occupational exposure in systems of future fusion plants.

A number of undergraduate, MSc and PhD students will be trained in these fusion related areas.