Bad Iter management puts project at risk, warns report

Problems with management, lack of political support and alienation from the fusion research community have driven the Iter project to the brink, according to a scathing report presented in the European Parliament.

Fusion4Energy, the agency that manages the EU contribution to the fusion research facility in France, is suffering from “cumbersome” and “ill-adapted” decision-making processes, according to the report seen by Research Europe.

“The agency was not fit for operation when it gained autonomy [from the European Commission] in 2007,” states the report, commissioned by the Parliament from the consultancy firm Ernst&Young.