These services are aimed at organisations requiring rapid development, qualification, and supply of advanced materials for demanding operating environments.

Building on its established R&D services, Oxford Sigma now provides integrated development-to-production support, enabling faster iteration, improved quality control, and the delivery of bespoke material solutions. Capabilities include wet chemistry, powder processing, hydrogen handling, and the processing of oxygen- and moisture-sensitive materials under inert atmosphere conditions. By combining R&D expertise with in-house manufacturing, Oxford Sigma reduces development timelines and enables tighter control over material specification, processing, and quality.

These facilities support both collaborative development programmes and the direct supply of specialist materials, including lithium-rich ceramics for tritium breeding applications.

These capabilities enable Oxford Sigma to transition from research and development into production support, offering customers a single partner for materials innovation through to supply.

Oxford Sigma Manufacturing Services Include:

• Bespoke material development and optimisation
• Pilot batch and small-scale production
• Process scale-up and qualification support
• Controlled handling of sensitive materials
• Supply of specialist materials including lithium-based ceramics

Customers can submit material requests, discuss requirements, or initiate development programmes via: www.oxfordsigma.com/products

Dr Alasdair Morrison, Oxford Sigma CTO, said:

“Our facilities allow us to offer bespoke materials and control over processing, handling and quality for a range of specialised materials for extreme environment applications. This investment and effort ensure that Oxford Sigma can provide both a holistic service to our customers, and to enhance the development of our own technologies.”

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Materials Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma produces advanced materials technologies for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion and extreme environment materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

Developed for UK Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE), the SSMC will enable critical testing of magnet technologies required for the STEP programme. The coil will support dedicated test campaigns to validate magnet performance, thermal behaviour, and structural integrity under conditions representative of fusion operation, helping reduce risk in scaling up to full tokamak systems.

Manufacture of the coil is being carried out by Rockwood as part of a close partnership with Oxford Sigma, combining expertise in advanced fusion materials, precision manufacturing, and cryogenic composite systems. This collaboration reflects the strength of UK industrial capability in addressing the complex engineering challenges associated with delivering commercial fusion energy.

The successful production and testing of the SSMC directly supports priorities set out in the UK Fusion Strategy and underpins progress towards delivery of the STEP prototype power plant.

Dr Thomas Davis, Co-founder and CEO, Oxford Sigma said:

“At Oxford Sigma, we focus on turning fusion strategy into deliverable engineering. Working in close collaboration with Rockwood, this Sub‑Scale Model Coil demonstrates how UK industry can combine materials expertise, manufacturing capability, and system understanding to deliver critical hardware for STEP and the UK Fusion Strategy.”

“The STEP Sub‑Scale Model Coil has allowed Rockwood to bring many years of cryogenic composite engineering experience into one of the UK’s most important fusion programmes. Working closely with Oxford Sigma, we’ve addressed complex manufacturing and integration challenges, and we’re proud to be contributing hardware that supports the UK’s pathway to clean fusion energy.”

“Oxford Sigma and its subcontractor Rockwood are making strong progress towards the UK Fusion Strategy milestone, supporting STEP’s Sub‑Scale Model Coil manufacture and insulation material down‑selection. Rockwood’s advanced manufacturing capability in cryogenic composite systems has been central to addressing complex build and integration challenges, while maintaining a proactive approach to the delivery schedule for testing.”

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About Rockwood Cryogenics

Rockwood Cryogenics, part of The Rockwood Group, delivers high-performance cryogenic composite solutions. They specialise in the manufacture of components and assemblies engineered from advanced materials, all destined for demanding, low-temperature applications.

Get in touch at info@rockwoodcomposites.com

About STEP Fusion

STEP Fusion (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is the UK’s flagship programme to develop a prototype fusion power plant, combining government and industry expertise to deliver clean, abundant energy.

Find out more at www.stepfusion.com

Oxford Sigma has applied its experience in fusion materials and manufacturing to progress the practical manufacture of hydrogen isotope exchange material powders. The work, conducted over several years, has advanced activity from early manufacturing scoping through to trial production and in‑house delivery of material, providing a credible UK route for supply.

Tritium exchange systems are a critical part of fusion fuel cycles, enabling the controlled separation, capture, and recycling of hydrogen isotopes required to fuel deuterium–tritium fusion reactions. Hydrogen isotope exchange materials play a key role in these systems through their ability to reversibly absorb and release isotopes under controlled operating conditions.

Establishing confidence in the manufacture and supply of hydrogen isotope exchange materials, including palladium‑based compounds, is essential for the reliable and scalable deployment of tritium handling systems in future fusion facilities.

Outcomes from the collaboration between Oxford Sigma and UKFE help reduce uncertainty in fuel cycle implementation, support long‑term UK supply chain readiness, and contribute to the technical foundations required for future specification development and scale‑up aligned with STEP objectives.

Commenting on the work, Dr Emily Rose Lewis, Project Lead on hydrogen isotope exchange materials and Nuclear Materials Engineer at Oxford Sigma, said:

“We have developed hydrogen isotope exchange materials from initial manufacturing scoping through to trial batches and representative quantities of material produced in‑house. Progressing toward a draft specification has been a key milestone, and it’s exciting to be working with UK fusion partners to help stimulate a new market for the UK fusion industry.”

Oxford Sigma continues to work closely with UKAEA, UKFE, and wider industry partners to support the maturation of materials and manufacturing capability required for fusion fuel  cycle technologies, contributing to the safe, secure, and scalable deployment of fusion energy in the UK.

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a fusion technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of rolling out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About UKFE Ltd

UK Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE) is a UKAEA Group subsidiary company, leading delivery of the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype power plant at West Burton in Nottinghamshire. UK Fusion Energy will integrate fusion technology in partnership with industry, delivering a complete fusion product, with STEP as the first major programme.

Developing UK capability in hydrogen isotope exchange materials is an important step in maturing the technologies needed for future fusion fuel cycles. Collaborations such as this help strengthen the UK fusion supply chain and support the long-term delivery ambitions of the STEP programme. For an overview of the fusion fuel cycle, see the UKAEA official YouTube channel: The Fusion Fuel Cycle

For more at https://stepfusion.com/

Image credit: An artistic visualization of a Mobius strip on a lattice background signifying the key role that differential geometry and topology play in describing the dynamic properties of metamaterials. Fabio Semperlotti and Mohit Kumar.

Good engineering starts with evidence. In fusion, that means demonstrating how a material behaves under neutron (fuel type dependent) irradiation, thermal, mechanical, and chemical conditions, not relying on assumptions or idealised properties. This is the purpose of qualification: a structured, engineering‑led process that establishes confidence that a material or component will perform its intended function in its intended environment.

Qualification is frequently mistaken for codification, but the two are fundamentally different. Codification places a material into a design code. Qualification generates the evidence that makes codification, and safe operation, possible (component dependent). Because fusion environments vary between designs, only the owner or designer can determine what evidence is needed. This paper provides a clear, graded framework that shows how to build that evidence chain and how early qualification accelerates the path to codification and deployment.

Importantly, the paper makes clear that qualification does not need to be fully complete before a fusion facility begins operation. Fusion programmes can adopt a phased approach, where early, time‑limited operation proceeds under controlled conditions while further evidence is generated. The level of qualification required before first plasma depends on the owner’s risk tolerance, the functional role of the component, and the degree of uncertainty reduction the owner judges acceptable. This graded approach enables progress while still building the datasets needed for long‑term justification and eventual codification.

A central message of the paper is that qualification, not just nominal material properties, determines how quickly fusion systems can be built, justified, and licensed. Using detailed case studies of Eurofer97 and SiCᶠ/SiC composites, the paper explains why qualification evidence gaps, not theoretical performance, are the rate‑limiting step for deployment.

• Eurofer97, although relatively mature, still requires key evidence such as irradiated creep behaviour, weld performance under representative conditions, and environmental compatibility datasets.
• SiCᶠ/SiC composites offer exceptional high‑temperature and low‑activation behaviour but require advances in joining technologies, irradiation testing, and the adoption of probabilistic design approaches appropriate for brittle composite systems.

These comparisons illustrate why tailored, component‑specific qualification pathways are essential before materials can be codified for pressure‑boundary use.

The full scientific paper is available through the Journal of Nuclear Engineering Special Issue Fusion Materials with a Focus on Industrial Scale‑Up, cited as:

Lewis, E.R.; Anderson, G.; Martinez de Luca, D.; Young, B.A.; Davis, T.P. Qualification Pathways for Fusion Structural Materials. J. Nucl. Eng. 2026, 7, 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/jne7010023

“Qualification is not about having complete knowledge before first operation; it’s about reducing uncertainty to a level the owner considers acceptable. Early, limited operation can generate essential evidence, and codification follows only when that evidence is mature. This graded, risk‑informed approach is what will allow fusion technologies to advance at pace.”

~ Dr Thomas P Davis, Co-Founder and CEO, Oxford Sigma

“It’s vital that we keep fusion anchored in engineering reality. Commercialisation will only accelerate if first‑of‑a‑kind devices are built using qualified, well‑understood materials, not ‘unobtanium’, but dependable systems we know how to justify and inspect. Proof‑of‑concept must come first, and using reliable materials is the surest route to delivering safe, trustworthy, power‑generating fusion plants.”

~ Dr Emily Rose Lewis, Nuclear Materials Engineer, Oxford Sigma

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

Working with our partners at Ice Nine, Oxford Sigma delivered a structured outreach programme engaging with key FORT-relevant organisations across multiple tiers of the UK supply chain. These discussions provided insight into current capabilities, testing approaches, and readiness for qualification activities, ensuring the FORT pathway reflects practical UK needs.

With no dedicated standard currently available for qualifying robotics for fusion‑like radiation environments, the FORT initiative draws on best‑practice approaches from high‑integrity sectors such as aerospace, defence, and nuclear fission, while recognising fusion’s unique operational demands.

This work builds on Oxford Sigma’s strong background in qualification methodologies, strengthened by Oxford Sigma’s CEO, Professor Thomas Davis’ leadership in materials qualification and his ongoing contributions to quality standards, design codes, and international standards development through the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler & Pressure Vessel (BPV) Code for Fusion Energy Devices and ISO standards. This foundation also ensures that the FORT initiative directly supports the future development of fusion-specific Codes and Standards, helping establish a clearer qualification landscape for robotics technologies in fusion environments.

The developing FORT process spans four layers of technologies: components (including sensors and communications), joint‑level sub‑systems (actuators, automation), and complete robotic systems, and incorporates materials considerations where they influence performance, reliability or lifetime. It is being shaped around representative fusion‑like parameters, including environments targeting ≥ 1 MGy total ionising dose, and the need to address end‑of‑life waste pathways.

Through this initiative, Oxford Sigma aims to help UK companies benchmark capability, enhance radiation‑tolerant design and testing expertise, and position themselves for future fusion programmes. Recent outreach has engaged materials and cable suppliers, actuator and component manufacturers, sensing and control specialists, test laboratories, system integrators, engineering consultancies, and digital‑design providers. This ensures that the emerging FORT qualification pathway is industry‑informed, technology‑agnostic, and well aligned with UK supply‑chain strengths.

Garin Schoonhoven, Project FORT Qualification UKAEA Team Lead:

“This project work was made possible through the Fusion Futures Industry Capability (FFIC) funding, and RACE (UKAEA) is pleased to have contracted Oxford Sigma who have delivered significant progress in the critical area of qualification for fusion robotics technologies. This foundation will help support the development of UK fusion industry as well as provide a pathway for qualification of radiation technologies in parallel markets”

Dr Emily Rose Lewis, Project FORT Qualification Team Lead at Oxford Sigma Ltd, said:

“Qualification is one of the most critical enablers for fusion robotics, and FORT represents a major step in preparing the UK supply chain for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Establishing a high-level, transparent qualification pathway now means we can accelerate innovation, reduce development risk, and position UK industry to lead in the emerging global fusion sector.”

Dr Matthew Nancekievill, CEO at Ice Nine Robotic Solutions:

“It is clear to me that robotics will play a large role in the safe management and operation of future fusion facilities. Fusion represents a new frontier for robotic use-cases that will require different qualification approaches to those undertaken in environments such as nuclear fission, space and medicine and this project highlights that through collaborations within the supply chain, we can enable this future together.”

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About Ice Nine Robotics Solutions

Ice Nine develops mobile robotic solutions for hazardous inspection and characterisation tasks. Our priority is to remove humans from harmful environments, with a focus on industries such as Nuclear Decommissioning. We can both design bespoke robotic solutions from the ground-up, or modify existing technology through to deployment on-site. Having deployed in many regulation rich environments, we are well versed in developing safety cases, with a large amount of irradiation campaign experience to determine fault conditions of robotic sub-systems and electronics when exposed to ionising radiation.

Get in touch at info@ice9robotics.co.uk

About the UKAEA

UKAEA is the national organisation responsible for the research and delivery of sustainable fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

UKAEA runs the fusion machine MAST-Upgrade (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) and is delivering the transition of JET from plasma operations to repurposing and decommissioning. The insights gained from this process will contribute to the advancement of sustainable future fusion power plants.

STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is a major technology and infrastructure programme that will demonstrate net energy from fusion, fuel self-sufficiency and a route to plant maintenance. UKAEA is STEP’s fusion partner and will work alongside STEP’s industry partners – one in engineering and one in construction – with the following short-list announced here.

The STEP programme is being delivered by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) a wholly owned subsidiary of UKAEA Group. UKIFS will lead STEP’s integrated delivery team to design and build the prototype plant at West Burton site in Nottinghamshire, targeting first operations in 2040.

UKAEA is now engaging in Fusion Futures, a programme that aims to foster world-leading innovation whilst stimulating general industry capacity through international collaboration and the development of future fusion power plants.

UKAEA also undertakes cutting edge work with research organisations and the industrial supply chain in a wide spectrum of areas, including robotics and materials.

More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea. Social Media: @UKAEAofficial

About fusion energy

When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at extreme temperatures – 10 times hotter than the core of the Sun – they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity. There is more than one way of achieving this. UKAEA’s approach is to hold this hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a ‘tokamak’, and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations.

This breakthrough represents a significant advancement for the UK’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme, which aims to deliver a prototype fusion powerplant at West Burton by 2040. Central to the demonstration was a specially designed coil manufactured by Oxford Sigma, internationally recognised for developing advanced fusion materials and technologies for extreme environments, alongside Rockwood Cryogenics, a leading provider of high-performance cryogenic composite solutions.

The successful demonstration provides a safer and smarter method of protecting the critical Toroidal Field (TF) coils responsible for confining plasma within the tokamak. This development further demonstrates the strength of UK innovation and cross sector collaboration in addressing fusion’s most demanding engineering challenges.

Howard Wilson, Director of Science and Technology for STEP Fusion, commented:

“This breakthrough shows how UK expertise across sectors is helping solve fusion’s toughest engineering challenges.”

Mélanie Bombardiere, Head of Commercial, Oxford Sigma said

“We are proud to contribute our advanced materials technology to this milestone, as it helps drive innovation and support the development of safe and reliable fusion power for the future.”

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About Rockwood Cryogenics

Rockwood Cryogenics, part of The Rockwood Group, delivers high-performance cryogenic composite solutions. They are specialised in the manufacture of components and assemblies engineered from advanced materials, all destined for demanding, low-temperature applications.

About Atled Engineering

Atled Engineering provides advanced finite element modelling and analysis for high temperature superconductors, specialising in HTS magnet design, quench and AC loss studies, and electromagnetic thermal simulations for fusion and other complex scientific applications.

About STEP Fusion

STEP Fusion (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is the UK’s flagship programme to develop a prototype fusion powerplant, combining government and industry expertise to deliver clean, abundant energy.
www.stepfusion.com

In her new role, Dr Lee leads Oxford Sigma’s engineering division, driving continuous improvement across the organisation and strengthening our company’s quality governance frameworks to ensure the successful delivery of complex, high-impact projects. Her appointment marks a significant step in expanding Oxford Sigma’s engineering capabilities to support the rapidly growing global fusion ecosystem.

Dr Lee brings a multidisciplinary background spanning aerospace engineering, experimental thermofluids, experimental rig design and commissioning, and fusion materials and manufacturing. She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Brunel University London. Prior to joining Oxford Sigma, Dr Lee spent nearly five years at Tokamak Energy, where she held leadership roles central to fusion materials and in-vessel technology programmes.

Throughout her career, Dr Lee has delivered a wide range of industry-funded and R&D projects. She is recognised for her ability to transform engineering challenges into opportunities for innovation, organisational learning, and team growth. Her leadership philosophy centres on empowering people: encouraging thoughtful risk-taking, embracing iterative learning, and fostering an environment where teams can excel. She is also a passionate advocate for STEM outreach and ED&I initiatives, championing a more inclusive and diverse engineering community.

Dr Lee’s appointment comes at a time of growth across the fusion sector, with increasing global demand for engineering leadership, advanced materials expertise, and high-assurance delivery that can scale with future fusion deployments. At Oxford Sigma, Dr Lee will be instrumental in shaping the evolution of the company’s engineering frameworks, enhancing delivery capabilities, and advancing Oxford Sigma’s mission to accelerate the deployment of safe, robust, and commercially viable fusion energy technologies.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr Vivian Lee to Oxford Sigma. Her deep technical expertise, leadership experience, and commitment to advancing fusion engineering make her an exceptional addition to our team. Dr Lee’s vision and drive will play a pivotal role in strengthening our engineering foundations and accelerating the safe and timely deployment of fusion energy technologies worldwide.”
Prof. Thomas P. Davis, CEO, Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is delighted to welcome Dr Vivian Lee and looks forward to the vision, expertise, and energy she brings to the company’s next chapter. This appointment further strengthens Oxford Sigma’s mission to support the safe, timely, and coordinated delivery of fusion energy technologies worldwide.

As a recognised leader in fusion materials technology and engineering, Oxford Sigma made a strong impact, and shaped discussions at this first anticipated biennial meeting. Our presence brought a supply chain perspective to the meeting of leading international experience from public and private fusion developers, research organisations, and academia. Participating in both presentations and panel discussions, major progress in developing a common knowledge base of what codes and standards (C&S) are being used, and developed, was achieved. These initiatives reflect Oxford Sigma’s mission to deliver the materials technology and engineering frameworks essential for safe, efficient, and scalable fusion power plants, shaping the future of fusion reactor design and deployment.

The IAEA organised the meeting following a series of consultancy meetings held by the IAEA in 2023 and 2024, and by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in February 2025, this meeting focused on the development and identification of C&S for fusion. Inputs from the meeting are expected to contribute to an IAEA database on C&S which is being developed for the IAEA Fusion CONNECT (FUSE) platform which will help to identify common C&S which apply across fusion technologies.

Key themes from the meeting were:

• Clear advancement of fusion-specific C&S across major standards bodies such as ISO and ASME (American Society for Mechanical Engineers) – where Dr Thomas Davis, Oxford Sigma’s co-founder and CEO chairs the Boiler Pressure Vessel Code in Section III, Division 4, for Fusion Energy Devices.
• The need for clear plant definitions matter; demonstration plants and fusion power plants will have different C&S needs, and to promote discussion the industry needs to be clear on what development stage it is focusing on., which leads to:
• A need for common terminology to allow effective international collaboration and shared understanding across the fusion sector.

Dr Alasdair Morrison, CTO of Oxford Sigma said

“Voluntary consensus-based codes and standards underpin industry worldwide, this technical meeting brought together leading thinkers across the fusion sector internationally to share experiences. Presenting our perspectives on the use of materials across codes, standards and specifications continues our long-standing role in bringing the fusion sector to a common perspective on this critical topic. We support the efforts by the IAEA to commence this process now, whilst fusion progresses towards the demonstration phase to ensure safety is maintained in alignment with the hazards fusion power plant operation will bring, and that common knowledge and language is used.”

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About IAEA

The IAEA fosters international collaboration and coordination to help close the existing gaps in physics, technology and regulation and move forward in developing the peaceful use of fusion energy. The IAEA is an autonomous international organization within the United Nations system. It partners with more than a dozen UN organizations, thereby helping extend the reach of its services.

International Atomic Energy Agency | Atoms for Peace and Development

As a recognised leader in fusion materials technology and engineering, Oxford Sigma made a strong impact at this year’s conference. Our presence at ICFRM-22 focused on advancing the materials ecosystem required for commercial fusion energy, where our team presented pioneering research in the substantiation and irradiation benchmarking of breeder blanket materials, and engaged in key discussions on the state-of-play for fusion-specific codes and standards to support regulatory readiness, as well as the inclusion of advanced manufacturing techniques for fusion-grade materials. These initiatives reflect Oxford Sigma’s mission to deliver the materials technology and engineering frameworks essential for safe, efficient, and scalable fusion power plants, shaping the future of fusion reactor design and deployment.

Dr Emily Rose Lewis, Nuclear Materials Engineer at Oxford Sigma, presented a poster titled Advancements in Nuclear Fusion Codes, which detailed the company’s latest work on fusion-specific pressure codes and standards. The poster outlined the development of codification frameworks tailored to fusion environments, including updates to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler Pressure Vessel Code (ASME BPVC) Section III Division 4 “Fusion Energy Devices”. This work supports the qualification of structural materials and components under extreme irradiation and thermal conditions, ensuring safety and reliability in future fusion reactors.

“It was a privilege to present our progress on fusion codification at ICFRM-22. Division 4 of the ASME BPVC is being developed to evolve beyond considerations of safety assurance—but to also support performance and investment protection for complex fusion-specific reactor components, reflecting the needs of private fusion companies. These standards are vital for enabling regulatory confidence and supporting the deployment of fusion technologies at scale.”

Dr Emily Rose Lewis, Nuclear Materials Engineer

Dr Pedr Charlesworth, Materials Scientist at Oxford Sigma, delivered an oral presentation sharing updates from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation (LIBRTI) Programme, focusing on the VICE (Validation of Innovative Ceramic Engineering) project. His talk covered recent progress in qualifying lithium ceramic breeders for tritium breeding systems, including irradiation testing, thermal performance characterisation, and manufacturability assessments. These efforts are critical for enabling reliable tritium production in fusion blanket systems.

“ICFRM was a thoroughly enjoyable and productive conference that showcased both the forward steps the fusion field has taken over the past two years, and the pathways to projects these new technologies will be embedded into. Shizuoka served as a stunning host to talks with a fantastic conference hall, fresh sushi and stunning view of Mt Fuji from the front door. I was particularly interested in the developments in breeder blanket design which were presented at the conference and exciting new methods for joining dissimilar materials, which look to provide a scalable solution to one of fusions challenges.”

Dr Pedr Charlesworth, Materials Scientist

A key theme emerging from ICFRM-22 was the growing international focus on the qualification of fusion-grade materials. Discussions highlighted the importance of irradiation benchmarking, weld integrity, helium embrittlement, and tritium retention—areas where Oxford Sigma is actively contributing through both experimental research and codification efforts. The conference also showcased increasing interest in advanced materials such as SiC/SiC composites, oxide dispersion strengthened steels, and novel tungsten alloys, alongside the development of small specimen testing techniques and data-driven materials modelling.

Oxford Sigma is working closely with the ASME BPVC Section III Division 4 Fusion Energy Devices Working Group to write design rules and specifications for materials of interest specifically for fusion applications. This collaboration ensures that emerging fusion materials are supported by robust, internationally recognised standards that enable safe and scalable deployment.

Oxford Sigma is committed to advancing the materials technology and engineering standards necessary for the realisation of commercial fusion energy. We thank the ICFRM organisers and the global fusion community for a productive and inspiring conference, and we look forward to continued collaboration in the development of fusion reactor materials.

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

Industry Simulation Software for Fusion is a multi-year rolling project aiming to define Fusion relevant analysis and simulation case studies and use them as a formal basis to engage industry for evaluation of their simulation software capability and identify development needs. The case studies will span the full range of domains relevant to the realisation of fusion as an energy source, with a mixture of single and multi-domain scenarios and involving the use of a variety of methods and techniques.

“By delivering advanced case-study methodologies in both neutronic-thermal-structural domains and liquid metal MHD applications, the company will support UKAEA’s ambition to drive fusion energy innovation closer to commercial reality. Furthermore, they affirm Oxford Sigma’s robust simulation capabilities and its recognised role as a leading SME in high-performance engineering software.”

Dr Mustafa Iqbal, Design & Analysis Lead at Oxford Sigma

“UKAEA’s dedication to engage with suppliers on fusion simulation challenges allows us to demonstrate, and then build upon, our capabilities. We are delighted to be progressing key aspects of these challenges in line with Oxford Sigma’s belief in a need for looking at integrated, collaborative, problem solving with a strong emphasis on the materials.”

Dr Alasdair Morrison, Chief Technology Officer at Oxford Sigma 

“We have been delighted with the response to our call for engagement with fusion’s simulation challenges. The collaborative approach we are encouraging will be the fastest route to achieving the simulation capability needed for realisation of commercially viable fusion. We thank Oxford Sigma for bidding for this work and look forward to working with them on the project.”

Dr Jonathan Horne-Jones, ISSF Project Lead at UKAEA

The contract is structured across four Lots, each representing a specialised case study:

• Lot 1: Neutronics-Thermal-Structural Analysis
• Lot 2: Structural Response to Electromagnetic Loads
• Lot 3: Reliability Analysis of Monoblock Failure
• Lot 4: Liquid Metal MHD in Non-Uniform Magnetic Fields with Heating

Oxford Sigma’s success in Lots 1 and 4 underscores its cross-domain versatility and domain-specific excellence in simulation technologies.

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

Who we are

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the UK’s national fusion energy research organisation. We are an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The work we do

UKAEA’s mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit. We do this by being technical experts, partnering with companies and the international research community.

At the core of UKAEA’s efforts is the operation of world-leading facilities that build a comprehensive knowledge base for fusion energy. By addressing and solving the challenges across the full lifecycle of fusion, and integrating solutions from various disciplines, we establish technical centres of excellence that serve as the foundation for future fusion power plant programmes.

UKAEA collaborates with its partners to develop fusion power plants by providing access to our skills, facilities and expertise. UKAEA owns UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) on behalf of the UK government. Through UKIFS, we’re spearheading the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme to design and build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant in Nottinghamshire. 

To grow the fusion ecosystem, UKAEA focuses on cultivating skilled talent, growing the fusion industry and creating ‘innovation clusters’. We actively seek opportunities to advance fusion technologies and communicate its vast potential to stakeholders and the public alike to accelerate fusion energy’s future – the energy of tomorrow we need today. 

More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea. Social Media: @UKAEAofficial  

About fusion energy  

When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at extreme temperatures – 10 times hotter than the core of the Sun – they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity. There is more than one way of achieving this. UKAEA’s approach is to hold this hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a ‘tokamak’, and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations. 

Established by Dstl in 2020, the WSRF enables rapid and efficient delivery of scientific and technical research across a broad spectrum of defence capabilities, including emerging and disruptive technologies such as kinetic and non-kinetic effectors, advanced sensors, and integrated architectures. The framework fosters innovation through collaboration, bringing together over 150 partners from across academia, SMEs, and the wider weapons industry to help solve the complex challenges presented on the framework. Organisations of all sizes contribute their expertise to the framework, with small to medium-sized enterprises and academic institutions playing a pivotal role—delivering over half of the research tasks and driving forward innovation at the heart of UK defence science and technology

“WSRF offers an exciting opportunity for Oxford Sigma to contribute to defence engineering. Following the UK government’s Strategic Defence Review, now is an important time to engage in defence engineering activities. Our existing skills and capabilities mean that Oxford Sigma is well placed to support the framework and its partners for the benefit of national security.” ~ Mark Anderton, Senior Engineer, at Oxford Sigma.

You can learn more about the WSRF framework at: https://www.qinetiq.com/en/what-we-do/services-and-products/wsrf

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies. As an example, our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About QinetiQ

QinetiQ is an integrated global defence and security company focused on mission-led innovation. The Group employs more than 8,000 highly-skilled people, committed to creating new ways of protecting what matters most; testing technologies, systems, and processes to make sure they meet operational needs; and enabling customers to deploy new and enhanced capabilities with the assurance they will deliver the performance required.

Visit our website www.QinetiQ.com.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @QinetiQ

A key contributor to the roadmap is Oxford Sigma’s CEO, Professor Thomas Davis, who served as the Research Area Lead for Qualification, guiding the roadmap’s approach to materials assurance, standards, and regulatory alignment.

The roadmap highlights the development and assurance of fusion materials, emphasising the necessary infrastructure, capabilities, and skills to achieve commercial fusion. At the heart of the roadmap is the theme of  powerplant readiness, which encompasses synergistic testing requirements, fuel breeder maturity, and the resolution of supply chain gaps. The challenges identified include developing materials for fusion construction and tritium production, particularly lithium-containing materials. The roadmap highlights the urgent need to develop materials capable of withstanding the extreme conditions inside fusion reactors such as high neutron flux, intense thermal cycling, and strong magnetic fields while also addressing tritium production, corrosion resistance, and regulatory qualification.

In addition to these research areas, the roadmap outlines four cross-cutting themes: establishing a UK supply chain, enhancing simulation capabilities for the fusion environment, creating new irradiation facilities, and developing standards and processes for qualifying new materials.

These themes are essential for building the necessary infrastructure and cultivating the skills required to support the development and deployment of fusion technologies.

Oxford Sigma is playing a pivotal role in delivering the roadmap’s objectives through a series of high-impact initiatives that span experimental validation, supply chain resilience, regulatory engagement, and advanced modelling:

Project VICE (Validation in Ceramics Experiments), which supports the Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation (LIBRTI) This facility, expected to be operational by 2028, will simulate fusion-relevant conditions to experimentally demonstrate tritium breeding in engineering-scale breeder prototypes. Oxford Sigma is leveraging its expertise in fusion materials and manufacturing to optimise lithium ceramic production and reduce uncertainties in tritium recovery, directly addressing roadmap challenges around breeder blanket qualification, ceramic stability, and tritium extraction efficiency.

In parallel, Oxford Sigma is actively supporting UKAEA in establishing domestic supply chains for critical fusion materials. These include lithium ceramics, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, magnet insulators, tritium recovery materials, tungsten tile designs, and fusion-grade steels. In response to roadmap concerns about tungsten availability, Oxford Sigma is leveraging the UK’s significant tungsten ore deposits to mitigate supply risks and enable scalable production of fusion-grade components.

Oxford Sigma is also contributing to the design of synergistic testing facilities that simulate irradiation, thermal, magnetic, and chemical loads concurrently. These facilities will be critical for validating material performance under fusion-relevant conditions and informing qualification pathways—addressing a key infrastructure gap identified in the roadmap.

Oxford Sigma’s CEO, Professor Thomas Davis, chairs the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Section III Division 4 committee ‘Fusion Energy Devices’. This group is shaping the development of pressure system codes and standards for fusion environments, ensuring materials exposed to high radiation, extreme temperatures, and neutron irradiation meet rigorous safety and performance criteria. These efforts directly support the roadmap’s cross-cutting theme on regulation, assurance, and qualification.

To further support materials qualification, Oxford Sigma is advancing predictive modelling frameworks that integrate experimental and computational approaches. This includes designing modelling/experimental matrices for small specimen testing and validating results against large-scale tests. Oxford Sigma is also developing multi-scale models to extrapolate data from irradiated samples to full engineering components, addressing the roadmap’s call for digital twins, uncertainty quantification, and simulation-informed qualification strategies.

Computational models to extrapolate data from small-scale tests. The testing of irradiated materials necessarily takes place on limited sample volumes and small specimen geometries. There are currently no detailed computer models that can reliably and mechanistically extrapolate between engineering components and small-scale tests that often demonstrate higher strengths and reduced occurrence of fracture. Such models are essential to qualify components. It is necessary to reduce the gap within multi-scale materials modelling hierarchy by establishing a strong link between engineering scale with mesoscopic and atomistic modelling to address the microstructure evolution of engineering materials. We are engaging with the modelling community in the design of integrated modelling/ experimental matrices and in development of small specimen testing protocols.

Strategically timed to support the roadmap’s intermediate-term goals, Oxford Sigma’s initiatives including Project VICE and LIBRTI are expected to deliver experimental data by 2028. This aligns with the STEP programme’s targets for tritium breeding validation and fuel self-sufficiency, reinforcing the UK’s leadership in fusion energy development.

The UKAEA Fusion Materials Roadmap 2025/26 represents a transformative step toward commercial fusion energy. With Oxford Sigma’s leadership in materials innovation, supply chain development, and qualification strategy, the UK is well-positioned to become a global leader in fusion energy technology. These collaborative efforts promise a sustainable, low-carbon future powered by the same principles that fuel the sun.

About Oxford Sigma

Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.

Get in touch at info@oxfordsigma.com

About the UKAEA

UKAEA is the national organisation responsible for the research and delivery of sustainable fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

UKAEA runs the fusion machine MAST-Upgrade (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) and is delivering the transition of JET from plasma operations to repurposing and decommissioning. The insights gained from this process will contribute to the advancement of sustainable future fusion power plants.

STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is a major technology and infrastructure programme that will demonstrate net energy from fusion, fuel self-sufficiency and a route to plant maintenance. UKAEA is STEP’s fusion partner and will work alongside STEP’s industry partners – one in engineering and one in construction – with the following short-list announced here.

The STEP programme is being delivered by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd (UKIFS) a wholly owned subsidiary of UKAEA Group. UKIFS will lead STEP’s integrated delivery team to design and build the prototype plant at West Burton site in Nottinghamshire, targeting first operations in 2040.

UKAEA is now engaging in Fusion Futures, a programme that aims to foster world-leading innovation whilst stimulating general industry capacity through international collaboration and the development of future fusion power plants.

UKAEA also undertakes cutting edge work with research organisations and the industrial supply chain in a wide spectrum of areas, including robotics and materials.

More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea. Social Media: @UKAEAofficial

About fusion energy

When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at extreme temperatures – 10 times hotter than the core of the Sun – they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity. There is more than one way of achieving this. UKAEA’s approach is to hold this hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a ‘tokamak’, and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations.