U of T to host Ontario's first fusion energy research chair, with $52.5 million in funding
Ontario and Canada named U of T as home base for a Centre for Fusion Energy Research Chair. The university will lead the search for the chair holder.
Sources · Ontario Newsroom
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The University of Toronto will host a Centre for Fusion Energy Research Chair, the first of its kind in Ontario. The provincial and federal governments put $52.5 million into the centre: $5 million jointly from Ottawa and Ontario for the chair, $2.5 million in endowment money from U of T, and the rest from government sources. Ontario contributed $19.5 million in November 2025, and the federal share to establish the centre is $33 million.
The research focuses on plasma physics for fusion energy. Fusion fuel is a mix of deuterium and tritium, two heavy isotopes of hydrogen. U of T will lead the competitive search to appoint the inaugural chair, and will deliver research infrastructure, hands-on student learning and industry partnerships.
Partners named are Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Stellarex Group Limited. Stellarex has proposed up to $39 million for the centre. The contribution is not yet confirmed.
Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, said: "University of Toronto is a proven research powerhouse, and as host to our new Centre for Fusion Energy Research Chair, the university will play a critical role in advancing clean energy innovation by driving transformative fusion research."
Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines, said the university "has a storied role in training Canada's engineers and scientists who designed our flagship CANDU reactor." Lecce also said Ontario is home to virtually all of the world's commercial tritium supply, a key fuel for fusion energy.
Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, said: "To master our destiny and be an energy superpower, we need to invest in the technologies and talent that will keep us globally competitive."
The centre's stated aims are to attract investment, create jobs and expand Ontario's clean energy research. The next step is the competitive search for a chair holder, which U of T will run.
