Tokamaks as Fusion Reactors

ABOUT ITER INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (IIS)

In a world where energy production is becoming more and more critical due to the consumption of available resources and due to the need of minimizing carbon emission, nuclear fusion becomes the most promising candidate for the future of energy, as it is safe, limitless and clean. Current nuclear fusion research is based on the collaborative effort of an international community spread over 35 countries around the world that is based on the ITER project. This is a major project that is crucial to advancing the science of fusion and preparing the road to the commercial reactor.

The ITER International School (IIS) responds to the need for training in this critical energy context, where fusion research is a cornerstone for the success of a large-scale project and international impact. The IIS has naturally become a global reference in the ITER project. The ITER International School aims to prepare young scientists and engineers for working in the field of nuclear fusion and in research applications associated with the ITER Project. The adoption of a “school format” was a consequence of the need to prepare future scientists and engineers on a range of different subjects and to provide them with a wide overview of the interdisciplinary skills required by the ITER project.

The 16th ITER International School will be held from 30th November 2026 to 4th December 2026. The school is jointly organized by Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Bhat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat and International Center for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS-TIFR) Bengaluru in collaboration with ITER Organization and Aix Marseille University, France. The school will be hosted at ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru.

The subject of this year's school is “Tokamaks as Fusion Reactors”. The school will mainly focus on the topics related to present status of tokamaks and various aspects of tokamak physics and technologies. It also highlights the importance of tokamaks as the most preferred option for magnetic confinement based fusion devices vis-à-vis various alternate concepts under consideration worldwide.

For the first time in its long history since 2007, the ITER International School (IIS) will be held twice in the same year.

The school will cover a broad range of topics related to tokamak fusion reactors’ physics and technologies, such as plasma confinement, heat and particle exhaust, integrated control and operation, plasma-materials interaction, superconducting magnets technology, neutron shielding and tritium breeding.

IIS HISTORY

The first ITER School was organized in Aix-en-Provence, France, in July 2007 and focused on turbulent transport in fusion plasmas. Fourteen successive schools have followed on a variety of subjects: magnetic confinement (Fukuoka, Japan, 2008); plasma-surface interactions (Aix-en-Provence, 2009); magneto-hydro-dynamics and plasma control (Austin, Texas, USA, 2010); energetic particles (Aix-en-Provence, 2011); radio-frequency heating (Ahmedabad, India, 2012); high-performance computing in fusion science (Aix-en-Provence, 2014); transport and pedestal physics in tokamaks (Hefei, China, 2016); physics of disruptions and control (Aix-en-Provence, 2017); the physics and technology of power flux handling (Daejeon, Korea, 2019); ITER plasma scenarios and control (San Diego, USA, 2022), the impact and consequences of energetic particles on fusion plasmas (Aix-en Provence, 2023), magnetic fusion diagnostics and data science (Nagoya, Japan, 2024), integrated modelling of magnetic fusion plasmas (Aix en Provence, France, 2025) and physics and engineering of heating and current drive systems for magnetic fusion plasmas (Chengdu, China, 2026)

More information about past schools can be found here.

https://www.iter.org/education/iis

Important dates

► Pre-registration Closes: August 23, 2026
► Notification of Acceptance: September 05, 2026
► Issuance of Visa Letters: September 30, 2026
► Deadline for Payment (complete registration): October 30, 2026
► IIS2026: November 30th to December 4th, 2026