UK Atomic Energy Authority

19/06/2026

Want to stay up-to-date with UK Atomic Energy Authority news and training opportunities? Read and subscribe to the UKAEA monthly Newsletter to find out about our recent activities and upcoming events. ➡️ https://ukaea.maglr.com/ukaea-newsletter-edition-26/ukaea-newsletter-edition-25

Our priorities are:
🔵 Solving the challenges of sustainable fusion energy - from design through to decommissioning - with world-leading science and engineering.

🔵 Enabling partners to design, deliver, and operate commercial fusion power plants.

🔵 Driving UK economic growth and a thriving industry that exports fusion technology around the world.

🔵 Creating clusters of organisations that accelerate innovation in fusion and related technologies.

🔵 Developing the talented, diverse people needed to deliver fusion energy.

We’re at the forefront of fusion energy and its related technologies. We’re on a mission to deliver safe, sustainable, low-carbon energy from fusion, achieving maximum scientific and economic benefit along the way.

18/06/2026

Throwback to 1983 when our flywheel generators, weighing 775 tonnes, were first constructed. As JET requireed 700-800 MW to operate, and the national grid allowed a maximum of 575, our flywheels made up for a shortfall of 400 MW.

18/06/2026

💐 Congratulations to Helen Pannitt from Helen James Flowers in Harrogate for her gold medal winning design 'Fusion & Fission' from this year's Floral Creations competition at RHS - Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show.

That's some serious 'Fuchsian energy....'

16/06/2026

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to deepen collaborative activities and cooperation mechanisms in fusion energy development.

Coinciding with the recent visit to the UK by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the MoC builds on the UK-Japan Fusion Memorandum of Cooperation agreed in June 2025, reflecting both nations’ shared ambition to accelerate the development of fusion as a safe, sustainable and secure energy source, while unlocking economic growth and industrial opportunities.

The UKAEA-QST MoC signed establishes a framework for joint research, engineering development and knowledge exchange, strengthening international collaboration to address key scientific and engineering challenges on the pathway to commercially deployable fusion energy.

Areas of collaboration may include:

- Fusion core and plant technologies, including breeding blanket systems, plasma science and materials

- Fusion plant systems engineering and integration, covering whole-plant design, operation and maintenance, including robotics and autonomous systems

- Fuel cycle and safety, including tritium technologies

- Regulation, standards and skills development, supporting clear deployment pathways and a skilled fusion workforce

- Affordability and commercial viability, supporting the delivery of economically attractive fusion energy

Through this framework, the partnership will enable the development of targeted collaborative projects, joint research, exchange of expertise, and shared use of facilities.

Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, said: “Britain is a world leader in the fusion industry, and the UKAEA working closely with international partners will help enable us to move ever closer to unlocking fusion’s potential to provide virtually limitless clean energy.”

Yasuyoshi Kakita, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination, The Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), commented: “We are very pleased with the conclusion of this Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority."

Tim Bestwick, CEO, UKAEA, said: “Fusion energy is a global challenge that requires international collaboration. This cooperation with QST strengthens our long-standing partnership with Japan in fusion-related technologies and creates new opportunities to combine our expertise to tackle key challenges in delivering fusion power. By working together, we can accelerate progress towards commercially deployable fusion and its long-term economic and energy benefits.”

Shigeo Koyasu, President of QST, commented: “Through this cooperation, I hope this will contribute to the creation of significant social and economic value, particularly in the fields of energy and the broader economy.”

15/06/2026

In episode five of our Powering UK Prosperity series, we talk with First Light Fusion, a private inertial confinement fusion company.

From their Oxford facility, this episode walks through First Light Fusion’s world-class capabilities in simulation, machine learning, data science, and specialist testing infrastructure that UK organisations would otherwise have to travel internationally to access.

With private investment in fusion growing globally, the UK has a unique opportunity to lead. But that means continuing to invest in skills, collaboration, and the right regulatory environment.

To watch all the videos in our 'Powering UK Prosperity' series, follow the UK Atomic Energy Authority YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSWuib1HHkD-yWcM8mcp0JdnpqlZ2MtHB

13/06/2026

The FOSTER Fusion Energy Webinar Series is now available on the UKAEA YouTube channel. Our communications focus on making the complex world of fusion energy clear and approachable, breaking down scientific concepts into easily understandable content.

The playlist is available via ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSWuib1HHkD-OPIBll06aAmTVoMVaJUWP

The webinars currently on the playlist are:
🔵 Plasma Science
🔵 Plasma Exhaust
🔵 Robotics Maintenance
🔵 Enabling Material Research and Technical Capabilities
🔵 Fuel Handling
🔵 AI Digital Engineering

By showcasing the variety of roles within the fusion ecosystem, from physicists and engineers to project managers and business professionals, we highlight the broad range of career opportunities available, helping students envision where they can contribute to this exciting and transformative industry.

12/06/2026

Congratulation to Samuel Hollis, Head of Operations - Electrical Engineering at UKAEA, who is approaching the end of a gruelling 14-day cycle challenge to the north of Scotland in support of the men's mental health charity Tough To Talk.

The charity has published a vlog on their YouTube channel with our Chief Operating Officer, Justin Kingsford – ‘740 Miles, 14 Days, One Purpose | Break the Cycle’. Sam is now approaching the finish line after 14 days of cycling.

"Even if we inspire people to talk that little bit more, that would be a really good thing to do." To find out more visit https://www.oxtrails.org.uk/break-the-cycle

You can watch the video, below, or by following this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPG9A7_X8CE&t=127s

"Even if we inspire people to talk that little bit more, that would...

11/06/2026

Lincolnshire businesses, local authority officers and fusion leaders gathered at the of Lincoln on Monday 8th June to mobilise the regional fusion supply chain, ready for STEP Fusion.

Representatives from DESNZ, UKAEA, UKFE Ltd, Tokamak Energy and the Fusion Skills collaborative attended ‘Igniting Midlands Fusion’ to meet with a wide range of industries, to align skills and capabilities with the requirements needed for the world’s first prototype fusion energy power plant in West Burton, on the border of North Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

The event was organised by the Trent Supercluster working group, a consortium of local authorities who are working with communities, academia and the private sector to develop infrastructure, skills and uncover wider opportunities associated with the programme.

In between talks, facilitators held table discussions to collate ideas, suggestions and questions from attendees which will directly feed into the Supercluster’s approach to developing the regional supply chain opportunities.

Dr Valerie Jamieson, Director of the Fusion Cluster, chaired a panel discussion entitled ‘Building the Supply Chain (What is Needed?), interviewing four fusion industry leaders who gave their insight and advice on how local SMEs can get involved in the sector.

Matt Stephenson, a visiting professor at the University of Lincoln, delivered a presentation on UKAEA South Yorkshire’s work with supply chain development, giving examples of the site’s 26, and growing, ongoing partnerships with SMEs.

Caroline Bellanger Wood, UKAEA Lead for the STEP Fusion Skills Collaborative , together with Skills Project Manager Bardell, rounded off the event with insight into the fusion skills pipeline, outlining the gaps, the opportunities and the areas where UKAEA, UKFE, educators, training providers and industry can collaborate.

Thank you to Ed Wright for planning and hosting the event and the University of Lincoln for your hospitality.

To find out more about UKAEA’s work on building fusion skills, visit our FOSTER programme page: https://www.ukaea.org/work/foster/

10/06/2026

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has contributed a further £20 million to the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] to back UK-based spinouts and early-stage companies...

UKI2S is a government-backed seed fund managed by Future Planet Capital that invests in and grows early-stage deep tech companies emerging from UK research, helping turn science into commercially viable businesses.

The investment forms part of a wider £33.25 million funding increase across three UKI2S sub-funds (Space, Defence and Fusion), taking the fund’s total capacity to £150 million. The capital includes £9.25 million from the UK Space Agency, £4 million from the Ministry of Defence and £20 million from UKAEA. The cumulative investment from UKAEA in the UKI2S fund is £28 million.

Tim Bestwick, CEO of UKAEA, said: "It is increasingly recognised that fusion is moving from the research phase to the build and ex*****on phase and our investment strategy reflects this."

"Innovations from fusion cover a wide range of applications from space to health, with an increased focus on key strategic enabling technologies, such as high-temperature superconducting magnets."

The UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund plays a strategic role for UKAEA as both a funding mechanism and delivery vehicle, as it supports the commercialisation of early-stage fusion-relevant technologies.

The additional funding helps UKI2S’s ability to back UK-based spinouts and early-stage companies across three of the eight priority sectors in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy: Defence, Clean Energy Industries, and Digital and Technologies.

Mark White, Investment Director at Future Planet Capital, said: "The UK produces world-class science and engineering talent, but commercialising deep tech is exceptionally hard without early conviction capital."

"UKI2S exists to take that risk: backing strategically important companies ahead of private markets and consistently crowding in substantial additional investment behind UK innovation. This continued government backing is a clear vote of confidence in UKI2S as a delivery vehicle for the Modern Industrial Strategy, from dual-use defence to frontier clean energy."

UKAEA has been a long-standing supporter of UKI2S having been among its founding investors in 2003, contributing to the establishment of the original core seed fund.

This investment builds on that early commitment and reflects the growing significance of fusion as a safe, sustainable and low carbon energy source.

The funding also supports the development of fusion-derived technologies across a range of fields ranging from industrial control systems to next-generation data centres and medical isotopes. These innovations have the potential to deliver significant economic and social benefits to the UK alongside advancing the development of fusion itself.

09/06/2026

We'd like to invite the public to UKAEA's June Open Evening! Our Open Evenings offer a unique opportunity to see in-person some of the amazing work we are doing to develop sustainable fusion energy.

You will receive an introductory talk covering the basics of fusion energy, followed by tours of the world’s largest fusion experiment; the world record breaking Joint European Torus (JET) and our Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade (MAST-U).

These tours will be led by engineers, scientists and technicians, who are currently working on the experiments – so you are guaranteed a genuine insight into what it’s like to work in fusion and have the opportunity to directly ask our passionate researchers anything about our work here at UKAEA.

📅 17 June 2026
📍 Culham Campus
🕐 6pm - 9pm

For further information, and to register for a place, visit https://indico.ukaea.uk/event/728/