National Fusion Laboratory is a Spanish “Infraestructura Científico Técnica Singular” (ICTS). Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) are exceptional facilities that are unique. They develop cutting-edge and top-quality research, and act as centres for transmitting, exchanging and preserving knowledge, transferring technology and promoting innovation. The ICTS have three key characteristics: they are publicly-owned, they are unique and open to competitive access.
The following LNF installations are open to competitive access:
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TJ-II stellarator: 1.5 m major radius, 1 T magnetic field on axis stellarator.
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Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL): The scientific techniques employed include secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with focused ion beam (FIB), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), profilometry, and confocal microscopy. More information
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Materials Irradiation Laboratory (MIL): is equipped with an ion implanter and a Van de Graaff electron accelerator.
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Liquid Metals Laboratory (LML): This facility comprises various setups and loops for handling liquid metals. Key research lines cover quality assessment, corrosion, purification, instrumentation, safety, and tritium extraction in both eutectic PbLi alloy and pure lithium.
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Optimization of Liquid Metal Advanced Targets (OLMAT): is a High Heat Flux (HHF) device to expose different types of armor to heat and particle loads similar to those expected in a future fusion nuclear reactor like DEMO. More information
Facilities access
Any researcher willing to perform experiments in the LNF’s facilities is welcome to do so. There are two ways to conduct experiments:
- Access on demand: if the proposal is deemed scientifically and technically feasible by an access committee, the experiment can be conducted for a fee.
- Competitive access: in addition to being scientifically and technically possible, the proposal must be backed by a publicly funded grant and approved by an access committee, which reviews all proposals and assesses their scientific and/or technological relevance. In this case, the access fees are minimized/subsidized for national and international public researchers.
Competitive access
The researcher must submit their proposal to the access committee during the open call for each facility, which will be evaluated based on the scientific merits of the proposal.
Due to the different nature of the facilities, each one has its own application form and access committee, which can be viewed via the following links:
| Application form | Access committee | Access protocol | |
| TJ-II | TJ-II application | TJ-II committee | TJ-II protocol |
| MCL & MIL | MCL & MIL application | MCL & MIL committee | MCL & MIL protocol |
| LML | LML application | LML committee | LML protocol |
| OLMAT | OLMAT application | OLMAT committee | OLMAT protocol |
Calls for proposals
Proposals received by the MCL and MIL laboratories are registered within their two semester-based calls. The scientific committee will review proposals submitted by the applicant and provide a response within 10 days. Analyses will be conducted based on order of arrival and equipment availability.
In contrast, TJ-II and OLMAT typically undertake two experimental campaigns on an annual basis. In the TJ-II, the so-called Spring (March-June) and Autumn (November-December) campaigns are conducted, with calls being made the month before the commencement of each campaign. The OLMAT campaigns are initiated immediately subsequent to the TJ-II campaigns.
| Call for proposals | Experimental campaign | |
| TJ-II | closed |
05/05/2026 to 18/06/2026 on going |
Former calls
The resolutions of previous calls are documented in the following table.
It should be noted that LML and OLMAT were entered as ICTS installations in 2026; therefore, there are no calls prior to that year.
| TJ-II | MCL & MIL | |
| 2025 | L.T.M. | 2025 2nd semester |
| 2025 1st semester | ||
| 2024 | 2024 Spring | 2024 2nd semester |
| 2024 1st semester | ||
| 2023 | 2023 Spring | 2023 |
| 2022 | 2022 Autumn | 2022 |
| 2022 Spring | ||
| 2021 | 2021 Spring | 2021 |
L.T.M.: Long Term Maintenance
Information
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