Status of the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility and the first beam operations with the full size prototype ion source

The present contribution is devoted to the neutral beam injectors (NBIs) for ITER heating and current-drive. First, updated information is provided about the development status of the entire NBI prototype (MITICA); starting in 2021, the first experiments will be dedicated to high-voltage holding tests in vacuum. Then the contribution describes the full-scale prototype of the NBI ion source (SPIDER) and the activities performed in the first two years of operation, devoted to investigating the operational regimes of the ion source and verifying the performances of the various plants in view of extensive beam operation. Some improvements have already been implemented; others are being prepared for the next shutdown. The characterisation of the SPIDER plasma is presented and the results of the first beam operations are reported.