The DONES Young Researchers Panel was held on Wednesday, 2 October 2024, at the European Commission Representation building in Croatia, located in Zagreb.

At this meeting, young scientists from Croatia and Spain presented their experiences working on this prestigious project. The speakers were Kristina Tomić Luketić (Ruđer Bošković Institute), Toni Dunatov (Ruđer Bošković Institute), Daniel Miler (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding, University of Zagreb) and Antonio Moreno (IFMIF-DONES España Consortium).

The IFMIF-DONES project is a unique experimental facility to be built in Granada (Spain) with Croatian support. It is one of the key European science and technology centres and a scientific career opportunity for young scientists from Croatia and other EU members.

The IFMIF-DONES project is key to the development of fusion technology, i.e., the development of advanced materials for the fusion reactor of the future DEMO fusion power plant, and a number of fusion technologies related to the production of tritium, radiation-resistant sensors and electronic components, heat transfer by liquid metals and their handling, etc.

At the initiative of Croatia and Spain, in 2018, IFMIF-DONES was declared a scientific infrastructure of strategic importance for the EU in the framework of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). This is therefore the first ESFRI project in which Croatia plays a key role.

In addition to irradiating fusion materials, IFMIF-DONES will serve as a multidisciplinary basis for neutron research in non-fusion nuclear physics, medical physics, solid-state physics, medicine, biology, or engineering. Any interested organisation or research team can propose complementary research. In addition, as part of the project, a large amount of specialised and often entirely new equipment, from detectors to cranes for remote control, is manufactured and developed.

The Ruđer Bošković Institute is the official Croatian DONES implementing agency and, together with the Institute of Physics and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding, is part of the DONES.HR consortium, which is working intensively on Croatia’s contribution to sustainable fusion energy.