Major achievements of the European shield blanket R&D during the ITER EDA, and their relevance for future next step machines

In the frame of the international thermonuclear experimental reactors (ITER) collaboration, the European home team (EU HT) has committed significant efforts on the R&D for the Shield Blanket. This paper summarises the main achievements of this programme, which have been obtained over the last 7 years. The depth of R&D extends from generic activities up to the manufacture of prototypes, but has, in accordance with the design progress, reached different stages of maturity for the various components. New ITER options being considered since early 1998 have not made these activities irrelevant. With few exceptions, the results are still applicable for less ambitious next step machines, or transferable to components with similar functions or requirements.