Looking back on Dutch Fusion Day 2026

Greg De Temmerman - Techleap
Greg De Temmerman is a strategic leader at the frontier of science, innovation, and deeptech for societal challenges. Greg worked for 15 years on fusion (including as a scientific coordinator on ITER) before co-founding Zenon Research- a think tank dedicated to early stage climate technologies. Through philanthropic capital deployment and now with Techleap, Greg helps build systems that enable bold, high-impact initiatives to thrive.

TED speaker and published author with a history of public engagement at the highest levels, Greg authored the book ‘Energy Chronicles’, and contributed to three other books. Greg is regularly featured in major media on topics related to deep tech, energy and climate. In October 2025, with 55 other runners he became holder of the Guinness record for the World’s deepest marathon.

Presentation: Fusion and the innovator’s dilemma
Initially seen with scepticism, startups and private capital are now part of the fusion development landscape. Fusion as a field finds itself in the classical innovator’s dilemma between publicly funded projects (including a mega project) and private actors applying the 'fail fast' mantra and pushing innovation into the field. This presentation will analyse this dynamic, and place it in the wider context of the current wave of deeptech innovation. download presentation

Barrington D’Arcy - Proxima Fusion
Chief Technical Operations Officer – responsible for building up the technical delivery side of the business. This includes project management, quality organisation, supply chain development, manufacturing engineering and production.

My background has always been operational, from manufacturing and quality engineering in BMW in my early years, to building up the Falcon 9 production system at SpaceX, then more recently building up manufacturing and supply chain operations in CMR, a surgical robotics company in Cambridge, UK.

Presentation: An Overview of Proxima Fusion’s Alpha Demonstrator
An overview of current progress towards delivering a Q>1 stellarator in Germany, including a concept overview to explain the phased approach to a Fusion Power Plant, the siting of the demonstrator machine and Proxima Fusions approach to manufacturing within Europe from a make/buy perspective. presentation will be shared soon

Victor Prost - Renaissance Fusion
Victor earned his engineering diploma from Ecole Polytechnique and PhD at MIT on machine design. Victor joined Renaissance Fusion in its early days, in 2021 where he completed major published works on stellarator system code and optimization, blanket and neutronics design. He then took the lead of the magnets and cryogenics team to build high field large bore HTS magnets, and laser engraved stellarator magnets. In 2026 he was appointed head of the Stellarator Design Integration and Construction, a newly formed department to deliver our first experimental stellarator machine.

Presentation: Simplified high-field compact stellarators
Renaissance Fusion’s mission is to bring fusion energy to the grid with simplified high field compact stellarators based on thick flowing liquid metal walls and laser engraved wide HTS magnets. download presentation

Debbie Kempton - UK Fusion Energy (UKFE)
Debbie Kempton is a Chartered Engineer and Certified Programme Manager with 30 years’ experience in aerospace engineering, applied research, technology demonstration and major programme delivery, having held roles in the US and UK. As STEP Fusion’s Director of Engineering Programme, Debbie is responsible for the overall engineering programme in addition to developing links with industry to support STEP’s concept design.

Presentation: STEP - From Fossil to Fusion
This talk will provide a general overview of the STEP Programme, including our whole programme objectives, our site, and a short overview of some of the technical challenges, but with a focus on how collaborations drive local and regional benefits. download presentation

Philippe Cara - DONES
Philippe Cara has over 30 years of experience in fusion research, beginning in 1994 with the development of high-power gyrotrons and magnetic power supplies for Tore Supra at CEA-Cadarache. In 2007, he led CEA’s Electrical Division and oversaw France’s contribution to JT-60SA’s power supplies. Joining Fusion for Energy (F4E) in 2010, he coordinated the EU-HT procurement for the IFMIF/EVEDA Project’s LIPAc accelerator, later becoming its Project Leader in Japan (2018). From 2022, he managed F4E’s DONES Programme, and since March 2023, he has served as DONES Programme Manager, overseeing the construction, installation, and commissioning of the IFMIF-DONES Facility in Escúzar, Granada. His career reflects deep expertise in fusion infrastructure and international collaboration.

Presentation: IFMIF-DONES Industrial Opportunities
This presentation outlines the IFMIF-DONES programme and its industrial opportunities, explaining why fusion materials need higher-dose irradiation data and how DONES will deliver it. It covers mission and governance, site status, programme timeline, experimental capabilities, and the major technical systems—accelerator, lithium target loop, test modules, remote handling, and controls—plus pathways for industry engagement. download presentation