The School of Architecture of the University of Granada hosted the first edition of the DONES Xcitech School, the DONES School of Science and Technology, linked to the particle accelerator project in Escúzar (Granada). The advanced course, organised by the IFMIF-DONES España Consortium and the University of Granada, took place from 23 to 27 April. Blanca Biel, co-director of the event, expressed her satisfaction with the results obtained and announced the continuation of this initiative after its successful debut.

Featured speakers included Steven Cowley (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory), María Teresa Domínguez (Empresarios Agrupados), Carlos Hidalgo (CIEMAT), Javier Díaz (Universidad de Granada) and Pilar Rosado (Fusion For Energy).

Young scientists and engineers at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and professionals with experience in fusion engineering, technology and science attended the course. They came from countries such as Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, France and Croatia, and various regions of Spain.

Also, present at the school were representatives from companies and organisations such as Safran, Sener Group, Suprasys, Tekniker Research and Technology Centre, Lithuanian Energy Institute, SPC, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Accenture, Institut Ruđer Bošković de Zagreb, Izertis, Navigation & Timing, Renaissance Fusion, R&D Engineer and DEM de Barcelona. Also present were members of the universities of Helsinki, Alicante, Carlos III, Cantabria, Seville and Granada.

One of the most emotional moments of this first edition was the recognition by the Women in Dones group to the rector, Pilar Aranda, and the director of CIEMAT, Yolanda Benito, for their outstanding contribution to the development of IFMIF-DONES.