Bulgaria

The Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy (INRNE) provides administration services for the Bulgarian fusion research teams. The Institute was founded 50 years ago in 1972 and is a research institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Since 2006 INRNE has also been an associate of the European Fusion Programme via the non-profit Bulgarian fusion association INRNE-EURATOM. With its workforce of approximately 231 and annual national funding of about two million EUR (2020) INRNE is the largest research center in Bulgaria.

The research at INRNE in Sofia is organized in six scientific divisions. The institute is primarily involved in research on fusion materials providing the fundamental research base for the realization of a future fusion power plant. The expertise of INRNE covers the investigation and the development of nuclear methods and diagnostics, as well as the theoretical principles and numerical methods that are essential for the understanding of fusion first wall materials for ITER or a demonstration power plant. INRNE participates in the construction of ITER diagnostics in collaboration with RFX Padova and has the coordinating role in the planned European Fusion Consortium for Bulgaria.