Bavaria’s Science Minister Markus Blume has welcomed the state of Baden-Württemberg as the seventh member of the Germany’s State Alliance for Fusion Research (Forschungsallianz Fusion). It joins Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein and brings with it the expertise of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the field of fuel cycle and material development.
“I am pleased that our coalition of the willing with Baden-Württemberg has gained a new, strong member. Now, seven countries that already have a large individual location strength in the field of fusion research are networking and pooling their strengths – and building on them together,” he said. “This is evidence of the clear will to make the nuclear fusion mission a success in Germany. We are determined: The first commercial fusion power plant is to be built in Germany.” He added: “Of course, others are cordially invited to join. Such a large mission needs pooled expertise. New partners make our alliance even stronger.”
Baden-Württemberg Science Minister Petra Olschowski said: “We are joining the Fusion Alliance because Germany must not only secure its leadership in fusion technology, but boldly expand it. The path towards fusion power plants is a global race for the energy of the future. The KIT in Karlsruhe plays a very crucial role in the development of the relevant technologies.”
The State Alliance for Fusion Research is a strategic partnership formed on 31 October 2025 to advance nuclear fusion toward commercial maturity and to position Germany as a global leader in fusion technology by pooling regional scientific expertise, training a specialised workforce, and linking research infrastructures. Key institutions include KIT, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) and European XFEL & DESY
KIT provides critical technological expertise on stellerators and operates the Tritium Laboratory (TLK). Research at KIT addresses key prerequisites for future fusion power plants. These include, in particular, the supply of the fuel tritium, the establishment of closed fuel cycles, and the development and testing of materials capable of withstanding the extreme thermal and nuclear stresses of fusion.
The IPP has two sites: Garching near Munich in Bavaria (founded 1960) and Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (founded 1994. It owns several large devices, namely the experimental tokamak ASDEX Upgrade in Garching and the experimental stellarator Wendelstein 7-X in Greifswald (in operation since 2016). It cooperates closely with the ITER, DEMO and JET projects.
European XFEL & DESY in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, provides unique x-ray and accelerator technology for real-time visualisation of fusion processes. The European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL) is an international research facility The construction and operation of the facility is entrusted to the European XFEL, a non-profit company that cooperates closely with its largest shareholder, DESY, and other organizations worldwide. DESY also operates the accelerator on behalf of the European XFEL.
The State Alliance for Fusion Research includes both magnetic confinement (using magnets to hold plasma) and laser-induced inertial confinement (using lasers to compress fuel) to spread technological risk. Its primary goal is the development, construction, and operation of the first commercially viable fusion power plant in Germany. The German government has pledged approximately €2.4bn ($2.8bn) to 2029 to support these efforts.
Several private ventures are supported by or collaborate with the alliance. These include Proxima Fusion, a spin-off from the IPP focused on magnetic confinement; Marvel Fusion, a Munich-based startup working on laser fusion technology; and Focused Energy, a German-US startup planning a pilot plant at the former Biblis NPP site in Hesse.
With regard to Bavaria’s role, Blume emphasised: “We are the driving force and partners on the way to the fusion power plant. Our master plan for nuclear fusion is fully under implementation, and we are currently building new chairs and degree programmes. With the IPP in Garching, we have embedded unique excellence worldwide in an ecosystem of promising start-ups. The merger alliance is now committed to the fact that we can expand this leading position.”
He added: “In alliance, the partners want to support the Free State’s [Bavaria’s] plan to establish a successor experiment for the current ASDEX Upgrade merger facility at the IPP. The construction of a new Stellerator in Garching is ground-breaking for Germany’s future role in this field of research.”
In addition, Bavaria, together with the Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in Garching, is playing a key role in the fundamental development of laser fusion technology in cooperation with start-ups. Using the ATLAS-3000 high-intensity laser, a joint initiative between LMU and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics is focsing on laser-driven particle acceleration, high-field physics, and medical imaging/therapy.
Science Minister Blume said the plant could go into operation in about 15 years. However, the preparatory work is to start much earlier. In the coming weeks, energy companies RWE and Proxima plan to sign an agreement for the project. Blume said some existing buildings will be used for the fusion power plant, and the pipeline network for transporting large quantities of electricity is already in place there.
In 2026, German fusion strategy is expected to shift from high-level planning to executing technical roadmaps designed to produce a commercially viable power plant. The primary framework for this is the Fusion Energy Research and Innovation Roadmap (FIRE), scheduled for completion by late 2026. By the first quarter of 2026, Germany will establish specialised “hubs” for magnetic and laser fusion research. These will receive up to €30m each in initial funding to expand research infrastructure and develop technology demonstrators.
After a one-year maintenance and upgrade phase, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator is scheduled to resume experimental operations in September 2026. The technical goal for this phase is to move toward 30-minute plasma pulses at high heating power to prove steady-state capability. Meanwhile, a call for proposals closing this January focuses on building research infrastructure specifically for target physics in laser fusion, aimed at advancing inertial confinement technology.
Startup pilot projects are also going ahead. Following a funding boost in late 2025 Proxima Fusion is advancing the design of the Alpha demonstration stellarator, with preliminary site planning in Garching. Focused Energy & Marvel Fusion are participating in the new laser fusion hubs to develop high-repetition-rate laser systems and target manufacturing.
