Control and Instrumentation Nuclear Industry Forum (CINIF)

CINIF is an independent body, managed by Nuclear Operations on behalf of the nuclear industry. It funds research to address control and instrumentation (C&I) challenges faced by the industry, working with UK R&D.

CINIF has an annual budget of £675k and has delivered over 800 reports to licensees since 2003, helping to set industry standards. Key findings have been embedded into EDF's C&I standards and processes for Nuclear Operations and Hinkley Point C. 

Who is involved? 

CINIF includes civil UK licensees and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and EDF is the Chair. Members include Sellafield, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Urenco, Devonport Royal Dockyards Ltd (DRDL), Rolls-Royce Submarines, Rolls-Royce SMR and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. 

Areas of research

Some of the main areas of research include software analysis, statistical testing, qualification and justification for software and hardware-based systems, solar storms and cyber security for operational technology. For example, CINIF has developed an assessment tool called Emphasis used to assess smart devices against international standards in support of nuclear safety, which has been widely used across Nuclear Operations and Hinkley Point C. Funding is available and anyone from a licensee organisation can request CINIF support for C&I-related research that benefits the industry.

 Next steps 

Research is expanding into machine learning and AI, focusing on using these technologies safely within UK regulatory conditions and taking advantage of their benefits. A CINIF website is also being developed to help distribute research within licensees.