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Whilst hundreds of millions of Euro are being invested in ITER, other instruments in the EU funding landscape are not yet active Source: ITER
The report warns that while Europe has had a leading
role in fusion research globally, as host to the ITER project for example – and has thus also made a major contribution to fusion innovation, the industry supply chain, and research – there is a significant risk. The report’s authors argue that EU fusion know-how and industrial potential might be lost with innovation investments declining as ITER nears completion. This is expected to take place in the context of similar investments for DEMO, the DEMOnstration power plant and successor to ITER, remaining more than a decade away. Furthermore, the authors note, international competition is increasing with new public investment in fusion in other countries as a vibrant private sector is also emerging. There are concerns that both of these factors may attract investments and expertise away from the EU. However, the EC is looking at developing a new strategic
long-term approach and the report forms part of that move. This approach would entail fostering public-private partnerships in a bid to prioritise innovation and close technological gaps, while also enhancing industrial investment and technology transfer.
Key EU PPP funding mechanisms Given there is growing recognition that promoting a faster and viable commercialisation of fusion energy will require both public and private investment and that neither public investment nor private enterprise will be able to achieve it alone, a public-private partnership model has been mooted as a solution. The report details the current EU funding landscape, noting that whilst hundreds of millions of Euro are invested in ITER and related activities such as Broader Approach, IFMIF-DONES, as well as EUROfusion which is focused on scientific research, other instruments in the EU research and innovation funding landscape are either not yet active for fusion or not yet appropriate due to the low level of technological maturity in many areas. For example, whilst there are EU funding possibilities under Horizon Europe, including Partnership approaches, no fusion relevant programme exists. Other instruments such as the Innovation Fund and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst could also be opportunities, but these have a focus on more mature technologies. Based on an analysis of leading public-private
partnership schemes, the report’s recommendations to the EC are that establishing a public-private partnership approach to support industrial innovation in the EU should be considered. It further recommends the EC pursue public- private partnership arrangements in parallel through three instruments – a Co-Programmed European Partnership, F4E Innovation Partnerships and the EIT-KIC InnoEnergy scheme.
Each of these approaches address different needs and are complementary with the overall goal of contributing to future design and development, maintaining EU industrial know-how and competitiveness, and leveraging EU scientific leadership and the ITER project. According to the report, Co-Programmed European
Partnership (CPEP) are assessed as the most relevant and interesting for an EU fusion PPP mechanism and derive from the main Horizon Europe research partnership approaches. The report’s authors note that a CPEP is a partnership between the EC and usually private, but sometimes also public, partners and is an approach that would therefore accommodate both industrial and research partners. Intended to provide the critical mass necessary to pursue solutions to European or global challenges, they recommend that CPEPs should have a life-cycle approach but be limited in time with conditions for phasing out funding. Funding for CPEPs is substantial, with hundreds of millions of public funding provided for each existing CPEP. However, the private sector is expected to at least match every euro invested by the EU, though these contributions can be in-kind contributions. Private partners in a CPEP are also obliged to carry out additional activities within the CPEP. These activities should be part of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) but not funded by Horizon Europe and thus only self-funded, demonstrating a commitment to the innovation agenda. Referring to the European Institute of Innovation and
Technology Knowledge and Innovation Communities (EIT/KIC), the report identifies these nine established, cross-disciplinary partnerships set up by the EU to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge exchange, recognising them as a form of Institutionalised Partnership and an alternative under Horizon Europe. The authors observe that Horizon Europe has already funded one fusion start-up – Novatron Fusion – through its InnoEnergy KIC programme and could potentially also support further industrial innovation. EIT/KIC will receive almost €3bn in funding between
2021-2027 while InnoEnergy is the leading KIC dedicated to fostering innovation in sustainable energy technologies. Bringing together academia, industry, and entrepreneurs to accelerate Europe’s energy transition to a low-carbon energy future, it was allocated EUR 44 million for 2023 and 2024.
While currently InnoEnergy has three focus areas
– battery storage, green hydrogen and solar PV – the authors suggest that given its potential significance and multidisciplinary nature, a distinct fusion energy category
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