A European Forum for Fusion Strategy
The GO4FUSION project participated in the 2025 edition of the Fusion for Energy (F4E) Roundtable, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, from 12 to 13th of June. The two-day event brought together over 200 representatives from the European fusion community, including policymakers, industrial leaders, researchers, SMEs, start-ups, and investors. The roundtable served as a platform to discuss Europe’s future in fusion energy and marked the launch of the first EU-wide consultation on a European fusion strategy.
GO4FUSION in Roundtable B: Building Tomorrow’s Fusion Industry
Carlos Hidalgo, Director of the National Fusion Laboratory at CIEMAT and representative of the GO4FUSION project, contributed to Roundtable B: Building Tomorrow’s Fusion Industry. This session focused on how Europe can build a strong, competitive, and innovation-driven fusion industry.
The discussion addressed supply chain readiness, the importance of public-private collaboration, and the need to engage SMEs and new market entrants. Carlos Hidalgo highlighted the contribution of GO4FUSION in bridging research and industry, supporting early-stage innovation, and promoting skills development within the European fusion ecosystem.
An Expert Panel on Industrial Strategy
The roundtable featured contributions from a diverse panel of experts. Alongside Carlos Hidalgo were Bernard Blanc of Assystem and the European Fusion Association, who shared insights on coordinating large-scale industrial engagement. Antonio Pellecchia, CEO of ASG Superconductors, addressed industrial manufacturing capacity. Erik Fernández Escudero, President of INEUSTAR and board member of Fusion Europe, focused on linking scientific infrastructure with industry. Olga Bakardzhieva from the Fusion Industry Association discussed international collaboration and investment trends. Tomas Vavro of RTC Engineering and Revol TT Consulting highlighted the role of SMEs, and Philip Thomas from the European Space Agency offered cross-sectoral perspectives on enabling technologies.
Programme Highlights
The overall roundtable programme was organised around four main thematic sessions:
- Building and securing the EU industrial supply chain for fusion
- Building tomorrow’s fusion industry
- Investing in advanced technologies and skills
- Establishing regulatory and financial frameworks for commercial fusion
The event also included plenary sessions and keynote speeches by Christophe Grudler, Member of the European Parliament, and Massimo Garribba, Deputy Director-General for Energy at the European Commission. Both stressed the importance of fusion energy as part of Europe’s long-term energy strategy and called for stronger integration between science, industry, and policy.
Supporting the Goals of GO4FUSION
Participation in this roundtable was directly aligned with GO4FUSION’s mission to contribute to the development of a robust and collaborative fusion innovation landscape in Europe. The project aims to strengthen industrial capacities, enhance technology transfer, and address the skills gap by supporting coordinated efforts between research organisations, industrial players, and policy stakeholders.
The roundtable’s discussions reinforced the urgency of these priorities, particularly in light of Europe’s ambition to maintain its leadership in fusion research while accelerating progress toward deployment of fusion-based energy solutions.
