Eight million euros for ITER-NL2
5 August 2009
Minister Maria van der Hoeven (Economic Affairs) has announced that she is supporting ITER-NL2, the follow-up programme of ITER-NL, with 8 million euros from the so-called FES-budget (Fonds Economische Structuurversterking). The aim of the ITER-NL initiative is to enable a strong contribution of Dutch companies to ITER and to facilitate front-line participation of Dutch research in the scientific exploitation of the experiment. The ITER-NL consortium consists of three Dutch research institutes: the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO, the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter FOM (with her FOM-Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen), and the Nuclear Research and consultancy Group NRG.
The FES-budget was instated in 1995 with the aim of investing in Dutch infrastructure and in the knowledge economy. This is the exact goal of ITER-NL2. The fusion project ITER will commence operation in 2018 and is already stimulating innovation and international cooperation. The current ITER-NL programme prepared Dutch companies for participation in the construction of ITER via financial support for the development of prototypes. As part of the initiative, two instruments for monitoring and controling the hot fuel (plasma) of the fusion reactor were developed.
