Programme

Debbie Kempton - UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS)
Debbie Kempton is a Chartered Engineer and Certified Programme Manager with 30 years’ experience in aerospace engineering, applied research, technology demonstration and major programme delivery, having held roles in the US and UK. As STEP Fusion’s Director of Engineering Programme, Debbie is responsible for the overall engineering programme in addition to developing links with industry to support STEP’s concept design.

Presentation: STEP - From Fossil to Fusion
This talk will provide a general overview of the STEP Programme, including our whole programme objectives, our site, and a short overview of some of the technical challenges, but with a focus on how collaborations drive local and regional benefits.

Victor Prost - Renaissance Fusion
Victor earned his engineering diploma from Ecole Polytechnique and PhD at MIT on machine design. Victor joined Renaissance Fusion in its early days, in 2021 where he completed major published works on stellarator system code and optimization, blanket and neutronics design. He then took the lead of the magnets and cryogenics team to build high field large bore HTS magnets, and laser engraved stellarator magnets. In 2026 he was appointed head of the Stellarator Design Integration and Construction, a newly formed department to deliver our first experimental stellarator machine.

Presentation: Simplified high-field compact stellarators
Renaissance Fusion’s mission is to bring fusion energy to the grid with simplified high field compact stellarators based on thick flowing liquid metal walls and laser engraved wide HTS magnets.

Philippe Cara - DONES
Philippe Cara has over 30 years of experience in fusion research, beginning in 1994 with the development of high-power gyrotrons and magnetic power supplies for Tore Supra at CEA-Cadarache. In 2007, he led CEA’s Electrical Division and oversaw France’s contribution to JT-60SA’s power supplies. Joining Fusion for Energy (F4E) in 2010, he coordinated the EU-HT procurement for the IFMIF/EVEDA Project’s LIPAc accelerator, later becoming its Project Leader in Japan (2018). From 2022, he managed F4E’s DONES Programme, and since March 2023, he has served as DONES Programme Manager, overseeing the construction, installation, and commissioning of the IFMIF-DONES Facility in Escúzar, Granada. His career reflects deep expertise in fusion infrastructure and international collaboration.

Presentation: IFMIF-DONES Industrial Opportunities
This presentation outlines the IFMIF-DONES programme and its industrial opportunities, explaining why fusion materials need higher-dose irradiation data and how DONES will deliver it. It covers mission and governance, site status, programme timeline, experimental capabilities, and the major technical systems—accelerator, lithium target loop, test modules, remote handling, and controls—plus pathways for industry engagement.

Interview with the Dutch fusion sector 
Small but significant. The Netherlands plays an important role in the international development of fusion energy. Four key actors in the emerging Dutch fusion sector will share their promises, plans and perspectives on fusion. Interviewees are:

• Hans Priem, Vice President Business Development at VDL ETG
• Naomi Verstraeten, Chief Innovation and Technology at Brainport Development
• Remco Nieuwland, CEO at Somni Solutions
• Iris Crassee, Business Developer at DIFFER

All interviewees have relevant news to share. What are VDL ETG's plans in the nuclear domain? What is Brainport Development's interest in fusion energy? How did Somni Solutions manage to win several ITER tenders? And what is the added value of fundamental DIFFER research for the private sector? These questions will be answered, and the audience gets the opportunity to ask questions as well. 

Greg De Temmerman - Techleap
Greg De Temmerman is a strategic leader at the frontier of science, innovation, and deeptech for societal challenges. Greg worked for 15 years on fusion (including as a scientific coordinator on ITER) before co-founding Zenon Research- a think tank dedicated to early stage climate technologies. Through philanthropic capital deployment and now with Techleap, Greg helps build systems that enable bold, high-impact initiatives to thrive.

TED speaker and published author with a history of public engagement at the highest levels, Greg authored the book ‘Energy Chronicles’, and contributed to three other books. Greg is regularly featured in major media on topics related to deep tech, energy and climate. In October 2025, with 55 other runners he became holder of the Guinness record for the World’s deepest marathon.

Presentation: Fusion and the innovator’s dilemma
Initially seen with scepticism, startups and private capital are now part of the fusion development landscape. Fusion as a field finds itself in the classical innovator’s dilemma between publicly funded projects (including a mega project) and private actors applying the 'fail fast' mantra and pushing innovation into the field. This presentation will analyse this dynamic, and place it in the wider context of the current wave of deeptech innovation.