Research at UKAEA
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-21)

Our research aims to enable us to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit.

Research programme

UKAEA is a Public Sector Research Establishment (PSRE) and the national organisation responsible for the research and delivery of sustainable fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

We lead the world in fusion research with a wide range of programmes covering plasma science, robotics, materials testing and development, and tritium science. Our scientists and engineers are working with partners around the globe to develop fusion as a new source of clean energy for tomorrow’s power stations.

The UK Fusion Research Programme comprises the majority of our research activity. It focuses on the fundamental research and development required to commercialise fusion energy and train the next generation of fusion scientists and engineers. The programme is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Our main research activities include:
- running experiments on the fusion machine MAST-Upgrade (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak)
- transitioning JET (Joint European Tokamak) from plasma operations to repurposing and decommissioning - insight from this process will contribute to the advancement of sustainable future fusion power plants
- developing a theory and modelling programme which studies key areas of plasma physics and predicts performance of future
- undertaking cutting-edge work with research organisations and the industrial supply chain in a wide spectrum of areas, including robotics and materials
- designing and developing the STEP prototype power plant
Fusion research facilities

Our fusion research facilities are operational at Culham in Oxfordshire and at a fusion technology centre near Rotherham, South Yorkshire:
- Materials Research Facility (https://www.ukaea.org/service/materials-research-facility/) (MRF), is a facility for researching materials for use in fusion and fission devices.
- Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (https://www.ukaea.org/expertise/robotics/) (RACE) is conducting research and development and commercial activities in the field of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS).
- The Fusion Technology Facility (FTF) at Rotherham is sparking the solutions to key challenges in developing fusion power plants.
- The Tritium Fuel Cycle (TFC) division is researching fuel technology for fusion power; in particular, tritium - one of the two main fuels needed for commercial fusion.
You can read how we are performing against our research goals in our Annual Report and Accounts (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukaea-annual-report-and-accounts-202324-hc175)

Research publications

Our scientific publications (https://scientific-publications.ukaea.uk/) and open data (https://opendata.ukaea.uk/) are available online.

Older publications are held in The National Archives (https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=UK+Atomic+Energy+Authority).

Impact of UKAEA fusion research

A report by London Economics for the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) assessed the impact of the public investment in UKAEA fusion research.

Read the report: Impact of the UK’s public investments in UKAEA fusion research (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-the-uks-public-investments-in-ukaea-fusion-research)