The context was an important session of the Budgetary Control Committee of the European Community (CONT), looking back on the Horizon 2020 R & D program (2014-2020) and the new 7-year R & D program (2021-2027). Specifically, the European contribution to ITER and the budget for Fusion for Energy (F4E) was under discussion.

Our message in short was: Though ITER really starts working several years from now (first plasma in 2025), you can already see benefits (added value). As an example HIT presented care robot Rose, in which we apply remote control techniques from nuclear fusion maintenance.
Key message: investing in nuclear fusion may unexpectedly lead to better healthcare for a greying society.

A colleague from ASG Italy, a company that builds the big magnets for ITER, reported on a new generation of windmills with superconducting coils and on superconducting cables for long distance transport of electricity.

The presentations were well-received.

The meeting was public and a video recording is available online here. The ITER topic starts at: 16:33, the HIT contribution starts: 16:51.