The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – Demo Oriented NEutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) is a single-sited novel Research Infrastructure for testing, validation and qualification of the materials to be used in a fusion reactor. It is based on a unique neutron source with energy spectrum and flux tuned to those expected for the first wall containing future fusion reactors. Materials irradiation data under such conditions are of fundamental interest for the fusion community as those will feed and validate the modelling tools for materials radiation damage phenomena. The IFMIF-DONES will be a major step towards IFMIF as it will develop a unique high-current high-duty cycle accelerator technology, liquid metal target technology and advanced control systems.
The creation of the IFMIF-DONES research centre was first proposed in the ESFRI Roadmap in 2006. The concept of building DONES was developed mainly within the framework of cooperation between the European Union and Japan on the basis of Broader Approach Agreement. In 2015, EUROfusion and F4E started the process of designing the DONES centre, in 2017 it was decided to build the centre in Granada, Spain.
The needs of IFMIF-DONES will increase as the project enters the next stages of implementation. The recruitment of specialists who wish to work with the organisation under research contracts is currently under way.
