By Maria Teresa Orlando
The year 2026 marks an important milestone for Consortium RFX: thirty years since its establishment. This anniversary is not only an opportunity to celebrate a remarkable history of achievements, but also to reflect on the journey that has transformed a research organization born around a major plasma physics experiment, the RFX machine, into one of Europe's leading players in fusion research.
Although Consortium RFX was officially established in 1996, its origins date back to the late 1950s, when the Institute of Electrical Engineering at the University of Padua launched its first plasma research activities related to nuclear fusion. These pioneering efforts were inspired by two distinguished scholars from the University of Padua: Professor Antonio Rostagni, then Director of the Department of Physics, and Professor Giovanni Someda, Professor of Electrical Engineering.
The real driving force behind the early research, however, came from Professor Giorgio Rostagni, Antonio's son, and Professor Gaetano Malesani, two young engineers driven by vivid scientific curiosity and enthusiasm. It was an era when international scientific collaborations were established in the shadow of puffing locomotives, and newspapers waved overhead as signals for scientists to recognize one another in crowded railway stations. The Second United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held in Geneva in 1958, had recently declassified fusion research, opening the field to the international scientific community and paving the wave for new research initiatives across Europe and beyond.
By the early 1970s, Padua had become home to a genuine scientific school devoted to ionized gases and plasma physics. The collaboration between the University of Padua, the Italian National Research Council (CNR), and ENEA gave rise to the first Eta Beta I and Eta Beta II experiments. This work later expanded through close collaborations with leading European laboratories, particularly in the United Kingdom, culminating in the construction of the RFX machine, one of the world's leading facilities for the study of plasmas in the Reversed Field Pinch (RFP) configuration.
The establishment of Consortium RFX on 13 May 1996 marked a turning point. It introduced an innovative model of collaboration among public research institutions, universities, and industry, created to develop the RFX project while strengthening Italy's contribution to the European fusion program. CNR, ENEA, the University of Padua, Acciaierie Venete, and later the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), brought together financial and human resources in Padua, creating a center of excellence for fusion research.
Over the years, the Consortium has achieved numerous internationally recognized advances in plasma physics and technology. Among the most significant is the experimental demonstration of plasma self-organization phenomena in the Reversed Field Pinch configuration, a milestone that consolidated Padua's position as a leading international research center. At the same time, the Consortium developed outstanding capabilities in designing and operating large-scale scientific infrastructures, integrating new scientific and engineering expertise. This work has contributed to the development of strategic technologies for future fusion power plants, including neutral beam injection systems for plasma heating.
Today, Consortium RFX is one of Europe's leading laboratories dedicated to fusion research. It brings together more than 200 researchers, physicists, highly specialized engineers, technicians, and administrative staff working in a strongly international environment, collaborating with the world's major fusion programs. One of the Consortium's most significant recent commitments is the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF), a unique research infrastructure dedicated to the testing and development of neutral beam injectors for ITER. The facility hosts two major experiments, SPIDER and MITICA, which allow the Padua team to provide an essential contribution to ITER, the world's largest scientific and technological project aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of fusion energy.
The coming years will be decisive for fusion energy. ITER will progressively enter its operational phases, and Consortium RFX will play a key role by delivering the experimental results required to support ITER's operation under its planned performance conditions. At the same time, the international fusion community is already designing the demonstration facilities that will follow ITER, with the objective of transforming fusion from a scientific challenge into a mature energy technology, building on the knowledge generated by the many experiments currently underway around the world.
In this context, Consortium RFX is exceptionally well positioned. Its expertise in plasma physics and technology, together with its experience in designing and operating large-scale research facilities, including RFX-mod2, SPIDER, and MITICA, and its strong partnerships with industry, provide a solid foundation for addressing the challenges of the global energy transition.
Consortium RFX therefore continues to pursue the vision that has guided it since its foundation: transforming scientific knowledge into innovation to contribute to a sustainable energy future. Central to this vision is its commitment to young researchers, who represent the true driving force behind the change and the future leaders of fusion research. It will be their task to carry this legacy forward upon the achievements of the past years, leading the journey of fusion research through the challenges that still lie ahead.
www.igi.cnr.it - mariateresa.orlando@igi.cnr.it
