EFDA

EFDA stands for the European Fusion Development Agreement. It was a European research framework established to coordinate and fund fusion energy research across European laboratories and institutions under Euratom. The aim was to advance magnetic confinement fusion, align national programs, and deliver the scientific and technical basis needed for ITER and future fusion power plants. The agreement organized collaborative projects, shared facilities, and joint calls for proposals, and it managed priorities in areas such as plasma physics, fusion materials, and engineering.

The EFDA framework supported a range of activities, including the operation and exploitation of the Joint European Torus (JET) facility and the coordination of ITER-related research across participating sites. It also advanced technologies crucial to a fusion power plant, including materials research, tritium handling, and plasma-facing components. A notable output associated with EFDA is the ITER Physics Basis, a comprehensive set of plasma physics knowledge intended to underpin ITER's design and operation.

In 2014, EFDA was superseded by EUROfusion, the European consortium responsible for implementing the European fusion programme. EUROfusion coordinates research across European laboratories and institutions to support continued development toward DEMO and ITER, maintaining Europe’s role in international fusion research.

See also: ITER, JET, EUROfusion, fusion energy.