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where much research is considered proprietary. As magnetic fusion 

 work leads toward conunercial utilization, foreign firms are likely to 

 have more government support in terms of sales assistance and 

 financing terms than U.S. business, to judge by present practices in 

 the nuclear, electronic, and military equipment fields. 



Pressures to collaborate internationally on fusion matters are 

 growing. The key motivating factor concerns finances resulting in 

 cost-sharing concepts being pursued. Such international cooperation 

 should not be deemed a threat to domestic programs but rather a 

 reinforcement of national efforts. It was acknowledged, however, that 

 it is often hard to get commitments for international activities for 

 more than three to four years; but, even if so limited, international 

 cooperation can be helpful to all participants. 



The meetings lollowing the Summit of Industrialized Nations at 

 Versailles in 1982 and Williamsburg in 1983 offer an opportunity for 

 international cooperation in magnetic fusion development that may not 

 easily be created again. These meetings, under the thrust of the 

 political initiative from the Heads of State, have determined that the 

 lEA would provide the institutional basis for cooperative fusion 

 program efforts. Specific programs have not yet been discussed, so 

 the time is ripe for presenting initial proposals for cooperation, 

 including joint projects. There was concern in the workshop that 

 uncertainty and argument, in the U.S. fusion community, over the 

 proper next steps might make it difficult to seize the opportunity 

 offered by the Summit initiative. 



One speaker held a pessimistic view of fusion as an electric power 

 source. He suggested that the threshold for utility acceptance and 

 use of fusion for power production would be much greater than was the 

 threshold for fission power. Therefore, a much more complete 

 scientific and engineering basis would be necessary to convince 

 utilities to use fusion power. However, this objective could be 

 achieved through international cooperation in science, engineering, 

 safety reviews, and concept selection. Although the speaker thought 

 there was no urgency for fusion power, he concluded that international 

 cooperation would, when the time comes, greatly assist in the process 

 of convincing electric utilities to adopt fusion power. The workshop 

 was also reminded of the need for the eventual public acceptance of 

 fusion and the role of public information about it. 



From the point of view of national security, major fusion projects 

 with the USSR are not considered feasible; a joint U.S. -EC -Japan 

 framework may be best. 



It was thought not constructive to negotiate too cleverly, to the 

 disadvantage of a partner; such a policy will create a powerful 

 competitor in time. 



Implementation and Management Considerations 



Various approaches to international cooperation are possible including 

 bilateral, multinational, and international agreements. One 



