The DONES Steering Committee, the body overseeing the development of the DONES Programme, met in Madrid at the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation & Universities. This significant event brought together representatives from 17 countries, along with representatives of the European Commission, Fusion for Energy and EUROFusion, to advance the development of the world-leading neutron source facility in Escúzar, Granada.

Before the Steering Committee meeting, an official institutional ceremony was held to sign the Multilateral International DONES Agreement (MIDA). This agreement establishes a comprehensive framework for decision-making, resource allocation, and programme management, which are key for the DONES Programme’s success.

The MIDA signing ceremony took place under the auspices of senior representatives from Spain (Ms Eva Ortega, Secretary General for Research), the European Commission (Mr Massimo Garribba, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Energy), and MIDA Signatories included the Directors from IFMIF-DONES España (Mr Angel Ibarra), Fusion for Energy (Mr Marc Lachaise) and Ruđer Bošković Institute (Mr David M. Smith), the President of National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (Mr KOYASU Shigeo) and the Vice-President of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Mr Diego Bettoni).

The Steering Committee appointed Mr Staša Skenžić as Chair of the DONES Steering Committee for the next two years and Mr Philippe Cara as Interim Programme Manager.

The Steering Committee approved the revisions of key documents related to the programme governance and management framework, including the Rules of Procedure of the Steering Committee, Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and Programme Coordination Board, and the selection procedures for a key management position.

The Steering Committee took stock of the latest developments in the Programme and approved the 2025 Work Programme update, together with the 2026 Work Programme, underscoring strategic priorities for the facility’s construction. Mr Joaquín Sanchez, Chairman of the STAC, provided an overview of the main findings and recommendations from the Committee’s recent meeting held in October 2025 in Granada.

The committee also received updates on potential contributions by other international partners from Germany and France interested in the DONES Programme, which would further strengthen the international collaboration and help driving the project forward.

The next meeting of the DONES Steering Committee will be held in the village of Rokkasho (Japan) in April 2026.

At its last meeting, the DONES Steering Committee was attended by representatives from: