6 May 2026

Sweden hosted unique European workshop on advanced materials

LUND, Sweden. Representatives from ESS, CERN and F4E recently gathered in Lund for the Advanced Fusion Materials workshop, hosted by Fusion for Energy (F4E), Big Science Sweden and ESS. The workshop brought together experts from research facilities, industry, research institutes and academia to discuss advanced materials technologies for fusion energy.

Amelie Hallin (Big Science Sweden) and Samina Shamsie (F4E).

Cross-facility collaboration

A key aspect of the event was the unique collaboration between major European research infrastructures to identify synergies, avoid silo thinking and explore how developments at one facility could support technology progress at another.

Technology gaps in fusion materials

Throughout the workshop, participants mapped the broader European landscape for advanced fusion materials and identified critical technology gaps within areas such as structural materials, plasma-facing materials, testing environments and high-temperature systems.

Strong participation from Swedish industry

There was strong interest from Swedish industry, with many companies participating in the discussions and contributing industrial perspectives, manufacturing expertise and experience from advanced technology development. The workshop highlighted the important role industry can play in developing future fusion technologies, not only as suppliers, but also as active partners in innovation, testing and scaling of new materials solutions.

Towards a European roadmap

“The long-term goal for the Advanced Fusion Materials Workshop is to establish a shared European roadmap for materials development within fusion and related fields,” said Max Collins, Big Science Sweden and Industrial Liaison Officer (ILO) for Fusion for Energy. “Sweden is well positioned to play an important role in this work, with strong expertise among both researchers and companies, as well as valuable experience from advanced technology development linked to international Big Science facilities.”

The speaker line-up included representatives from:

  • Fusion organisations: F4E and EUROfusion
  • Big Science facilities: ESS and CERN
  • Research institutes and laboratories: CIEMAT, Fraunhofer and DONES
  • Swedish high-tech companies

Amelie Hallin (Big Science Sweden) and Samina Shamsie (F4E) moderated the workshop.

The Advanced Fusion Materials workshop took place in Lund on 5–6 May 2026, followed by a study visit to ESS.

“Bringing together people from completely different disciplines challenges us to work in new ways. It creates a shared sense that we are all in this together, even if it can feel a bit awkward at first,” said Stefan Wikman from Fusion for Energy.

Some Swedish voices

“The networking has been one of the most valuable parts of the workshop, and we believe we will bring new business opportunities back with us. It has also been interesting to gain insights into future challenges and perspectives,” say Mats Petersson and Tomas Berglund, MCT.

“It has been exciting to take part in discussions on plasma technologies and future fusion materials. It is valuable to see how different organisations approach similar challenges and to exchange ideas across disciplines,” says Lidija Peric (Freemelt)

“The workshop created a valuable meeting place, especially through the breakout sessions where participants could discuss concrete challenges and results,” say Sunniva Jakobsen and Alexander Krikon, Savantic.

“Workshops like this provide an important overview of ongoing developments and what others in the field are doing,” say Ian McKinley and Martin Bjurman (Studsvik Nuclear).

“The discussions should focus even more on the materials and technologies of the future. From an industry perspective, we believe it is important to be bold and open to new approaches,” say Ulrik Beste (VBN Components,) and Jakob Oskarsson (Blykalla).

“It is very interesting to see how research, manufacturing and engineering come together in discussions about future fusion materials and technology choices,” says Kristina Lundgren (RISE).