Fusion energy holds the promise of providing safe, sustainable and low-carbon baseload energy that complements other clean energy sources like solar and wind. Realising fusion means solving many science, engineering and technology challenges in a comprehensive research programme.
In Europe, the EUROfusion research consortium takes up the fusion challenge with its strongly goal-oriented Roadmap to Fusion Energy. By involving talented young engineers in its research, EUROfusion accelerates its progress towards the scientific exploitation of ITER and developing the European demonstration fusion power plant DEMO.
The selection of the EUROfusion grants was based on the excellence of the candidates through a rigorous evaluation and interviewing process by an expert panel of retired leading fusion experts and taking into account their diverse backgrounds. EUROfusion is committed to fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion in all its forms including but not limited to gender, nationality, socioeconomic background and disabilities. EUROfusion’s governing body, the General Assembly, approved 21 EUROfusion Engineering Grants (EEGs) based on the recommendations of the experts in the evaluation panels.
Attracting and developing excellent fusion engineers
As Europe’s fusion research community, EUROfusion is highly committed to developing a workforce capable of solving the physics and engineering challenges towards a fusion power plant. The EUROfusion Engineering Grants support excellent early-career engineers as they hone their skills on key technological questions for the development of fusion energy.
The EUROfusion Engineering Grants are awarded at a post-master and post-doctoral level contributing to the salaries, cost of research activities and missions for up to two years of the selected candidates. Recipients will participate in the Engineering Training Programme to develop skills and competences, increase their visibility, and build up their fusion networks.
About EUROfusion
The EUROfusion consortium coordinates experts, students and facilities from across Europe to realise fusion energy in accordance with the EUROfusion fusion roadmap. EUROfusion is co-funded via the Euratom Research and Training Programme.
The EUROfusion programme is preparing for experiments at the international ITER project and develops concepts for the European demonstration fusion power plant DEMO. The programme supports fusion education and training, and works with companies to develop the European fusion industry.
EEG recipients awarded to start in 2025
| Name (Affiliation) | Research topic |
| Irene Álvarez-Castro (IFMIF-DONES, CIEMAT, Spain) |
Characterisation of the neutronic and gamma fields in IFMIF-DONES |
| Jordan Berton (CEA, France) |
Mechanical characterization of pellets impact properties |
| Lorenzo Boccaccia (KTH, VR, Sweden) |
Integrated modelling of boron powder injection and its effect on plasma turbulence |
| Francisco Javier Canillas Rodríguez (CIEMAT, Spain) |
Validation of Small Specimens for the Pre-Qualification of CuCrZr and OF-Cu |
| Vittorio Cossu (ENEA, Italy) |
Development, Improvement and Validation of Numerical tools for WCLL in-box LOCA safety analysis |
| Mikuláš Ďurovec (IPP-CR, Czechia) |
Design of the closed tungsten divertor of COMPASS Upgrade tokamak |
| Alexis Juven (CEA, France) |
Deployment of Simulation-Assisted Neural Network for InfraRed Images Analysis |
| Francesca Giovanna Lanzotti (CREATE, ENEA, Italy) |
Innovative Methods for Dimensional Risk Management in the Design for Assembly of Fusion Devices |
| Bence Longauer (EK-CER, Hungary) |
Techniques for cryogenic pellet production for fuelling pellet injection |
| Dominik Najman (IPP-CR, Czechia) |
Engineering aspects of magnetic field sensors implementation on COMPASS-U, IDTT, and EU-DEMO |
| Jose Ángel Noguerón Valiente (CIEMAT, Spain) |
Development of multi-physics tools for advanced breeding blanket concepts |
| Daniel Ordnung (KU Leuven, LPP-ERM-KMS, Belgium) |
Combining plasma-shielding and thermal management through complex shaped tungsten/copper components produced by multi-material laser powder bed fusion |
| Konstantinos Paschalidis (KTH, VR, Sweden) |
Integrated modelling of RE-induced PFC damage |
| Yoeri Poels (EPFL, Switzerland) |
Integration of machine learning and database tools for enhanced control room operation |
| Francesco Santoro (Consorzio RFX, ENEA, Italy) |
A step forward in the Technological Readiness Level of the MEST system |
| Beatrice Segalini (Consorzio RFX, ENEA, Italy) |
Combining different diagnostics for optimising negative ion beams in Neutral Beam Injectors |
| Alessandra Vannoni (ENEA, Italy) |
Experimental and simulation studies of DEMO Balance of Plant architectures |
| Hari Prasad Varadarajan (DIFFER, Netherlands) |
Cooperative Model Predictive Control framework for control of kinetic profiles in fusion devices |
| Gianmarco Villani (CEA, France) |
Characterization and assessment of the aggravating effects of fatigue applied to EUROFER structures. Application of multi-scale approach of fatigue cracks initiation and propagation |
| Ivan Wyss (University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, ENEA, Italy) |
Preparation of innovative identification and feedback tools for the control of the total radiation in the perspective of developing robust scenarios for long term operation of tokamak reactors. |
| Yang Xingyu (Aarhus University, DTU, Denmark) |
Active Vibration and Compliant Control for Remote Maintenance of BB Segments with Consideration of Elastic Deformation |