Santander, October 2026.
AVANCEM Engineering is advancing an industrial transformation based on the integration of design engineering, specialised manufacturing and applied research. The company, part of MADEMAN GROUP, combines contracts for international scientific infrastructures with new initiatives in technology transfer and its own development work.
The year 2026 brings together milestones of particular significance: three ITER-related contracts, engineering projects for scientific facilities, the selection of Fusion2SpaceRF in EUROfusion FUTTA and a growing presence at European forums connecting research, public procurement needs and industrial capability.
ITER: three contracts, three areas of specialisation
At the experimental ITER reactor, under construction in Cadarache, France, AVANCEM is undertaking three complementary activities. The VVPSS Exhaust Filters are components of the vacuum vessel pressure suppression system, with stringent quality and traceability requirements.
The Cloche Kit for HV Feedthrough Chamber requires machining, welding, specialised cleaning, inspections and helium leak testing for components of a high-voltage feedthrough chamber.
The Tie-Rods Insertion Tools contract includes the design and manufacture of three sets of special tools to insert and position the PCCF tie rods in a controlled manner during tokamak assembly, together with FAT testing and delivery. It does not include the manufacture of the tie rods themselves. Together, the three contracts illustrate an offering that ranges from engineering and industrialisation to manufacturing and validation.
From ALBA and ESS to European accelerators and synchrotrons
AVANCEM’s activities encompass facilities of different types. At ALBA Synchrotron, the company is carrying out an engineering and development project for a cooling system, integrating design, manufacturing and implementation. Its track record also includes work related to the European Spallation Source (ESS), and it remains actively involved in supply opportunities and tenders for CERN and other major infrastructures.
Its commercial and technical strategy pays particular attention to accelerators, synchrotron radiation sources and vacuum technologies. The facilities and procurement environments that AVANCEM studies or monitors include FAIR, XFEL, BESSY II and Elettra, alongside ALBA, ESS and CERN. This prospecting and tendering activity should not be confused with contracts awarded at all these organisations: it represents a sustained presence in their technology markets.
IFMIF-DONES: industrial activity and collaboration
AVANCEM is advancing initiatives and technical work linked to the IFMIF-DONES ecosystem, the international infrastructure under development in Granada for the study of materials for future fusion reactors. These activities are channelled through different entities and collaborations, with details reserved until they are formalised. The company also participates as a Supporting Sponsor of the 4th DONES Users Workshop, strengthening dialogue between industry and the scientific community.
EUROfusion FUTTA: a competitive European selection
A distinctive milestone is the selection of Fusion2SpaceRF in the EUROfusion FUTTA programme. The proposal successfully completed a competitive process involving a project presentation and defence (pitch), in a call with a maximum of four projects eligible for funding across Europe. The grant awarded amounts to 50,000 euros. Beyond the amount, this selection validates the technology transfer potential of an industrial proposal developed by AVANCEM.
Fusion2SpaceRF explores applications outside fusion, particularly in space, for radiofrequency technologies and advanced components. It is a separate initiative from CORWAVE, although the two share an underlying body of technical knowledge.
CORWAVE and the development of in-house research capability
CORWAVE is AVANCEM’s R&D programme to develop and industrialise corrugated waveguides for high-power radiofrequency transmission, used in plasma heating systems. It encompasses knowledge transfer, design, prototypes, metrology, manufacturing and validation, with the aim of expanding the industrial capabilities available in Spain.
The company is also preparing new initiatives related to EURATOM and considering schemes such as Torres Quevedo to bring in research talent. These are programmes in preparation, rather than funding already awarded. The aim is to progress from manufacturing to specification towards the design and development of proprietary technologies for plasma heating and associated systems.
Institutional presence: from BSBF 2026 to ITER meetings
This technological evolution is accompanied by a growing presence in international industrial cooperation forums. AVANCEM has been invited to participate in the CDTI pavilion at Big Science Business Forum (BSBF) 2026 in Maastricht, a showcase for Spanish industry’s capabilities before major infrastructures and scientific buyers.
The company has also received an invitation to participate in the CDTI space at an ITER-related business meeting scheduled in France in April 2027. These invitations help position AVANCEM within the European dialogue between research organisations, procurement decision-makers and companies able to industrialise scientific solutions.
Recognised innovation and MADEMAN GROUP’s industrial backing
AVANCEM’s inclusion in TOP 101 Spain Up Nation adds recognition of its innovative profile to these milestones. The company’s evolution is supported by MADEMAN GROUP, an industrial group based in Cantabria with approximately 10,000 m² of facilities and a combined workforce of around 70 professionals, with capabilities in machining, welding, metal fabrication, cutting and forming, assembly and maintenance.
AVANCEM contributes design engineering, project management, industrialisation, vacuum technologies, metrology, testing and quality documentation. This integration enables projects to be addressed from concept and technical development through to manufacturing, inspection and delivery.
A position built project by project
The ITER contracts, work at ALBA and other scientific environments, DONES-related initiatives, the EUROfusion FUTTA selection and the commitment to CORWAVE are not isolated activities. They form part of a strategy to consolidate AVANCEM as an advanced engineering company with industrial capability, a European presence and growing applied research activity. Its aim is to contribute, from Spanish industry, to the technologies that will make the scientific infrastructures of the coming decades possible.
