Three outstanding projects win 2024 fusion innovation prizes

Today, the European Commission announced the winners of the 2024 edition of the Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT) Innovation Prize. These awards give recognition to outstanding proposals that foster collaboration between researchers and industry. The European Union funds the SOFT Innovation Prize through the Euratom Research and Training Programme in order to support innovative ideas in fusion research with market potential.

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: 

“The innovative breakthroughs achieved by this year's SOFT Innovation Prize winners demonstrate the immense potential of scientific creativity and collaboration to drive progress. By supporting and celebrating cutting-edge solutions, we are advancing fusion technology and paving the way for a future powered by clean, reliable energy sources that will benefit generations to come.”

This year’s winners were unveiled at the 33nd Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT2024) in Dublin by Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General for Research & Innovation.

They are:

First prize (€50 000)

Institut “Jožef Stefan”, Slovenia

Development of W2C-reinforced W for a Plasma-facing Armour Material

Tungsten, the selected core material for the DEMO's divertor, suffers from high-temperature ductile-to-brittle transition, recrystallisation and grain growth. To address these issues, a new method has been developed through tungsten carbide (WC) doping. The method creates particles that prevent harmful tungsten oxides from forming, while simultaneously enhancing densification. As a result, the new composite material has excellent thermal stability, and is resistant to thermal shocks within the required parameters. These qualities position W-4WC composites as an ideal material for the DEMO divertor application, showcasing their potential to revolutionise the landscape of fusion materials for future energy systems.

Second prize (€30 000)

Alexander Feichtmayer, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany

A Novel Approach for Experimental Fusion Materials Research and Validation of Material Models

A challenge in the realisation of fusion energy generation is the development of novel materials for the plasma-facing components of a future fusion power plant. How various effects, such as irradiation damage and hydrogen isotope retention, interact with each other in a real reactor environment poses a challenge for the development of those materials. A new facility, the General-Purpose Irradiated Fiber and Foil Experiment (GIRAFFE), has been created to conduct in-situ experiments that simulate the fusion environment. High-energy ion bombardment is used to simulate neutron damage. Simultaneously to the irradiation, it is possible to mechanically tension the samples, which can be used to simulate thermomechanical stresses as well as to carry out mechanical tests. A low-energy ion source is used as well to simulate the fusion plasma by directing a beam of deuterium or helium ions onto the sample, while a heating system enables test and irradiation temperatures of up to 2000 K.

Third prize (€20 000)

CEA IRFM and Matériels Industriels de Sécurité, France

Ventilated Immersive Suit for Interactive & Operative Nuclear Simulations

Air-fed suits (AFS) are Personal Protective Equipment designed to protect the operator from airborne solid particles. However, working in AFS increases the operator's workload and physiological constraints, hence a time limitation on how long the suit can be worn for at a time has been imposed by the regulator. This proposal takes stock of human-factor requirements early in the design process by implementing eXtended Reality technologies. The use of such immersive simulation tools makes it possible to assess a workstation task in a constrained, realistic environment mixing digital and physical worlds. Particular attention is paid to work sequences requiring the operator to wear ventilated clothing. To meet the expectations, an innovative prototype of Immersive Ventilated suit has been developed. The innovative aspect lies in the technology as a whole, and in particular the combination of the suit with sensors and interactive realistic multi-physics simulation in virtual/extended reality.

Background

SOFT Innovation Prize

The SOFT Innovation Prize aims to stimulate the research community in order to strengthen innovation and foster an entrepreneurial culture in fusion research. In 2024, the Commission received eight proposals that were then checked and evaluated by an independent jury composed of experts in fusion research and market exploitation. The jury assessed the proposals based on originality and replicability, technical excellence, economic impact, and exploitation of the innovation.

Euratom Research and Training Programme

The Euratom Research and Training Programme (2021-2025) is the EU nuclear research and training programme with an emphasis on the continuous improvement of nuclear safety, fusion and fission research, radioactive waste management and geological disposal as well as radiation protection, ensuring open access to infrastructures, education and training, and international cooperation. It supports the energy transition objectives of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme, as well as the implementation of the European fusion and fission roadmaps.

Press contact:

EC Spokesperson for Research, Science and Innovation