On March 25, the Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM) of UPV held the event “Nuclear Fusion: Technological Challenges and Opportunities for the Spanish Industry,” in collaboration with UPV Innovation, the Knowledge Transfer Office of UPV.
The aim of the event was to analyze the opportunities and challenges of the nuclear fusion sector, a technology with enormous potential for the future of clean and sustainable energy. The event featured experts from the Center for Energy, Environmental, and Technological Research (CIEMAT), the IFMIF-DONES project, and the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), among other key entities in the field of nuclear fusion.
The event had 68 registered participants, who had the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the current context of nuclear fusion at the national, European, and international levels, as well as the main players leading the development of this technology.
Perspectives in the Nuclear Fusion Industry
Eva Antonino, director of iTEAM, opened the event by highlighting how telecommunications technologies provide an opportunity to address technological challenges in fusion energy, demonstrating their enabling and transversal nature.
Subsequently, experts analyzed the current state and development opportunities in this sector. Carlos Hidalgo, director of the National Fusion Laboratory at CIEMAT, emphasized the importance of fusion research for energy advancement. Meanwhile, Belén del Cerro, representative of CDTI, presented R&D&I calls and the industrial opportunities that fusion offers to Spanish companies.
One of the main topics was the development of the IFMIF-DONES project, a key infrastructure for studying materials under nuclear fusion conditions. Moisés Weber, deputy director of the IFMIF-DONES consortium, discussed the progress of its construction in Granada and its relevance in the European fusion plan. However, pending technological challenges were noted, such as plasma physics and electromagnetism, sensors, mixed reality technologies, the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing, among others.
At the conclusion of the event, Fernando Conesa, director of the Knowledge Transfer Office (OTC) of UPV, emphasized that the university has the capability to position itself as a technological leader in fusion energy through collaboration with the various European organizations driving its development.
Towards a Sustainable Energy Future
The event “Nuclear Fusion: Technological Challenges and Opportunities for the Spanish Industry” highlighted the need to strengthen investment and European initiatives in fusion to consolidate technological leadership in this field, where Spain can play a key role in the development of this energy source.
The event featured the participation of three Spanish institutions: the Center for Energy, Environmental, and Technological Research (CIEMAT), the IFMIF-DONES project, and the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), which are contributing to the development of this new energy source that will revolutionize the energy market in the coming years.
Nuclear fusion is a clean, safe, and inexhaustible energy source, with the potential to replace fossil fuels as it does not generate CO₂ emissions or long-lived radioactive waste. In this sense, it is a key alternative to ensuring a stable and sustainable energy supply.
UPV Innovation Ecosystem
The event was held at the epicenter of UPV’s R&D&I, the Polytechnic City of Innovation (CPI), where iTEAM is also located.
UPV’s scientific park is conceived as a space where university, business, and society connect to accelerate the generation of knowledge, transfer, and innovation activities developed by more than 3,000 people dedicated to research.
Currently, CPI houses a significant portion of UPV’s research activity, organized into 45 institutes and research centers across a total of 140,000 m² of scientific infrastructure. The mission of CPI is to contribute to capitalizing UPV’s knowledge by generating impact through the transfer of its results and contributing to socioeconomic development.
The Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM) is one of the key reference institutes located within UPV’s scientific park. Founded in 2005, its objective is to promote research and innovation in telecommunications and multimedia applications. It currently has a team of more than 150 people, including UPV faculty and researchers, postdoctoral researchers, innovation agents, laboratory technicians, and doctoral students.
Both iTEAM and the managing entity of UPV’s scientific park are members of the Universitat’s Knowledge Transfer Office, UPV Innovation. The Office currently has more than 20 specialized units that promote and channel relationships with companies and institutions to foster and drive technology transfer, knowledge exchange, and innovation within organizations.