The ST40 Collaboration: A Groundbreaking, First-of-Its-Kind, Public-Private Partnership in Fusion

McNamara, Steven A. M.; Kaye, Stanley M.; Unterberg, Ezekial A.; Asunta, Otto; Berkery, John W.

doi:10.1080/15361055.2025.2515662

The ST40 Collaboration: A Groundbreaking, First-of-Its-Kind, Public-Private Partnership in Fusion

Journal Article · Thu Sep 04 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Fusion Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2515662· OSTI ID:2589010

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Tokamak Energy Ltd., Milton Park (United Kingdom)
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

With the continued expansion of the private fusion sector, many governments are increasing support for public-private partnerships (PPPs) and positioning these partnerships as central to their plans to deliver commercial fusion. This paper discusses a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind PPP between the United Kingdom–based private company, Tokamak Energy Ltd. and the U.S. public sector researchers from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the University of Washington that focused on advancing spherical tokamak physics on the ST40, a high-field spherical tokamak owned and operated by Tokamak Energy. The collaboration was both scientifically productive and supportive of Tokamak Energy in achieving a key company milestone. Key factors that made this a productive and impactful collaboration are outlined from the perspectives of both the public and private participants. These principles can be used to inform future PPPs in fusion, and have already paved the way for new public-private initiatives.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-09CH11466; AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2589010

Report Number(s):: NFE--19-07769

Journal Information:: Fusion Science and Technology, Journal Name: Fusion Science and Technology; ISSN 1943-7641; ISSN 1536-1055

Publisher:: Informa UK LimitedCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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