VIENNA — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold its 28th conference online next Monday on the latest developments in the field of nuclear fusion.

In a statement, IAEA Information Department in Vienna said that the five-day conference is considered the largest of its kind in the world, and would offer promising hopes for the provision of safe and carbon-free energy

During the conference, leading experts in fusion science and technology development will give more than 100 scientific presentations where they will discuss the progress made in fusion research and technologies, with a focus on the French nuclear organization readiness to conduct the largest fusion experiment in the world.

Furthermore, the conference will present the role of women and their viewpoint on the issue of nuclear fusion, as it will also discuss educational methods to build a new generation of experts in this field.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event will be held virtually. The IAEA fosters the exchange of scientific and technical results in nuclear fusion research and development through its series of Fusion Energy Conferences.

The 28th ediiton aims to provide a forum for the discussion of key physics and technology issues as well as innovative concepts of direct relevance to the use of nuclear fusion as a future source of energy.

With a number of next-step fusion devices currently being implemented — such as ITER (‘International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor’) in Cadarache, France, and the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator in Greifswald, Germany — and in view of the concomitant need to demonstrate the technological feasibility of fusion power plants.

In addition they will discuss the economic viability of this method of energy production, the fusion community is now facing new challenges. The way these challenges are addressed will determine the direction of research in the present and coming decades.

The scientific scope of FEC 2020 is, therefore, intended to reflect the priorities of this new era in fusion energy research.

The conference aims to serve as a platform for sharing the results of research and development efforts in both national and international fusion experiments that have been shaped by these new priorities, and to thereby help in pinpointing worldwide advances in fusion theory, experiments, technology, engineering, safety and socio-economics.

Furthermore, the conference will also set these results against the backdrop of the requirements for a net energy-producing fusion device and a fusion power plant in general, and will thus help in defining the way forward.

With the participation of international organizations such as the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), as well as the collaboration of more than 40 countries and a great number of research institutes, including those working on smaller plasma devices

Itis expected that this conference will, like previous conferences in the series, serve to identify the possibilities and means for continuous and effective international collaboration in this area.

The overall conference program will consist of an opening session, selected overview sessions, technical sessions with invited and contributed papers, summary sessions, daily poster sessions and a closing session.

During the conference, the 2020 Nuclear Fusion Award winner will be announced, and both the 2019 and 2020 prizes presented. — Agencies