16 April 2009 - The Deputy Director of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan/Institute of Atomic Energy Kurchatov and manager of project #K-1561, Ms. Tazhibaeva Irina Lashkarovna, and ISTC's Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer, have signed an agreement for a 387,597 € project, funded by the European Union, of particular significance to the field of nuclear fusion. 

The project aims to design, manufacture, assemble and test a novel divertor, which will be a key component of an experimental thermo-nuclear reactor KTM (Kazakhstan Tokamak for Material Testing), built in Kazakhstan in cooperation with Russia. A successful outcome of the project would result in the implementation of the technology in the reactor DEMO, the next generation nuclear fusion power plant that is expected to be built in Japan.

The project confirms the growing collaboration between scientists from Kazakhstan, Russia and the EU, attracting an international research community and positioning Kazakhstan as a focal point for nuclear science development.

The study to be undertaken as part of the project itself focuses on basic approaches to designing a lithium divertor and in-vessel elements required for the new generation of fusion reactors. Aspects of lithium-plasma interaction will also be covered within the terms of the project and include the development of novel approaches to lithium treatment in reactors. 

Three institutes will be involved in this project: the Russian Federal State Unitary Enterprise «Red Star», the State Scientific Centre of Russian Federation «Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Thermonuclear Researches - TRINITI», and the Institute of Atomic Energy of the National Nuclear Center of Republic Kazakhstan (as project leader). 
Foreign collaboration is also an integral part of the project and will include two Italian institutes, the ENEA RC Frascati and ENEA RC Brasimone.

ISTC Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer (left) and the Deputy Director of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan,Ms. Tazhibaeva Irina Lashkarovna