ITER was originally a collaborative project between the four partners : the European Union, Japan, Russian Federation (originally USSR) and the United States. China and South Korea joined ITER in 2003.

India formally expressed her interest to join ITER through a letter from Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (India) to Dr. Achilleas Mitsos, Director General-DG Research, European Commission.

India’s contributions to ITER

ITER will be built mostly through in-kind contributions by the seven partners, meaning they will build their share of ITER components through an appropriately formed Domestic Agency (DA) and industries and deliver them to ITER for final assembly of the device. India will be contributing, like other partners except the host EU, about 10% of the ITER construction cost (EU pays about 40%).

Most of this will be in the form of components made by the Indian industry and delivered to ITER.Only a small part (~1%) will be paid in cash to a common fund for in-cash procurements by the ITER International Team.

ITER-India is the Indian DA formed to deliver India’s share of Procurement Packages to ITER.