Academia Sinica and Huazhong University of Science and Technology sign a cooperation agreement to jointly establish a joint research center for nuclear fusion technology.

On July 22, the Central Research Institute and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) signed a cooperation agreement in Wuhan to establish a Joint Research Center for Nuclear Fusion Technology. Fan Sheng, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Central Research Institute, attended the signing ceremony at HUST. Shen Feng, a member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of the Institute, signed the agreement on behalf of the Institute with representatives from HUST, followed by a thematic discussion on collaborative innovation within the fusion industry.

Nuclear fusion is a key future industry targeted for development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and represents a strategic frontier in global energy technology competition. HUST’s Fusion Research Center has long specialized in plasma physics, boasting leading domestic magnetic confinement fusion experimental facilities and comprehensive R&D platforms for plasma diagnostics, alongside outstanding capabilities in fundamental research and experimental validation. As the Group’s platform for fundamental and forward-looking technology research, the Central Research Institute possesses a robust technological innovation system, extensive experience in the practical application of energy technologies, and mature capabilities in engineering and industrialization.

Both parties agreed that their respective resources are highly complementary and their foundation for cooperation is solid; establishing a joint research center serves as a crucial mechanism to bridge the gap between fundamental research, engineering validation, and industrial implementation. Using the joint research center as a platform, the two parties will integrate the university's strengths in fundamental research with the central enterprise's strengths in engineering and industrialization. They will focus on overcoming technical challenges associated with commercial fusion reactor pathways, explore new models of efficient, collaborative research management, and strive to create a model example of a central enterprise and university joining forces to tackle frontier energy technologies.

Representatives from the Central Research Institute’s Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology Research Institute and HUST’s Fusion Research Center participated in the event.