Forum Fusion 2026: Record attendance at industry meeting in Garching
Nearly 200 experts from research, industry, start-ups and ministries gathered at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching on 12 and 13 January 2026 for the 7th Forum Fusion. To kick things off, the Federal Ministry of Research presented its plans to accelerate technology development in Germany with three fusion hubs.
Even before its seventh edition, Forum Fusion was already the largest meeting of the German fusion industry. However, for the latest edition on 12 and 13 January 2026, so many registrations were received from Europe that organiser Dr Arnd Baurichter from the Fusion Liaison Office (FILO) drew a comparison with the legendary Woodstock music festival, where the number of expected visitors had unexpectedly exploded in 1969.
Almost 200 experts from research, the start-up scene, industry and ministries gathered at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Garching to network the relevant players on the road to a commercial fusion power plant.
Before the actual event, Dr Silke Launert, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), provided information about the funding strategy with which the German government intends to make Germany a pioneer in the development of fusion energy. She presented the three hubs in which technology development is to be advanced in the coming years:
- Magnetic fusion
- Laser fusion
- Fuel cycle and materials development
Peter Schroth, Head of Division at the BMFTR, answered questions about the funding plans in detail. He made it clear that the two billion euros in funding promised by the German government explicitly refers only to the current legislative period. Future federal governments cannot be anticipated, but of course a continuation would be desirable. He emphasised that the maturity of the necessary technologies (Technological Readiness Level) is expected to develop positively in the coming years. The federal government is convinced that fusion is a game changer for German energy supply, said State Secretary Launert. Her ministry had fought hard for the current funding amount. Now the fusion industry must get the public excited about its work.
ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi provided an update on the work being done on the major international research project in southern France and reported that, following the restructuring of recent years, the project was now on track. Other speakers included Dr Elena Righi Steele, Head of Unit at the European Commission, and Marc Lachaise, Director of the EU organisation Fusion for Energy. Representatives of the four German-based fusion companies Focused Energy, Gauss Fusion, Marvel Fusion and Proxima Fusion presented the status of their development work.
One of the highlights of the second day of the event was a panel discussion on the regulatory framework for a future nuclear fusion power plant. The aim of the fusion industry and the BMFTR is to create a legal framework that is faster and simpler than the approval process for fission power plants, because the safety risks associated with fusion power plants are significantly lower.
In this context, lawyer Dr Philipp Sauter from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law presented the ReFus project, which began at the start of the year. In this project, he and his partners are analysing the current regulatory situation on behalf of the BMFTR (funding amount: €1 million) and will present proposals for a new legal framework in a report by the end of June.
According to Sauter, the USA is currently leading the way in this area. However, Germany is also already well positioned in international comparison because fusion facilities here are regulated under the Radiation Protection Act rather than the Atomic Energy Act.
All participants agreed that an improved framework should shorten approval times. The industry wants planning security and international harmonisation so that its developments can also be sold outside Germany.
Yavuz Anik from the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN) reported on how his organisation is promoting the international standardisation of fusion technologies. Together with China, Germany is currently playing a leading role in this area.