Research and Development

EDF UK R&D deliver research and innovation to our internal business units, policymakers, partners and customers in order to help Britain achieve net zero.

Latest news

February 16, 2026

EDF team recognised in Institute of Physics report on the future of UK energy

November 10, 2025

Leveraging AGR know-how for AMR success

November 10, 2025

DODONA, DUAL-DOPPLER SCANNING LiDAR TECHNOLOGY

October 07, 2025

The Circular Economy for solar farms

Who we are

Established in 2012, EDF UK R&D combine advances in science and engineering with new digital innovations. The team provide support to all business units and subsidiaries of EDF. Our researchers are driven by two goals: improving performance in all EDF UK current activities; and preparing for the future by exploring breakthrough technologies or business opportunities.

R&D Nuclear

The team manage and deliver a portfolio of programmes supporting the safety, performance and life extension operation of the existing nuclear fleet in the UK. They prepare our decommissioning plan and develop new build projects, including Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C and beyond, for example, AMR and SMR. The team act as an internal centre of expertise in structural integrity and materials modelling, chemistry and corrosion, reactor physics and fuel, natural hazards and climate science, and decommissioning and deconstruction.

R&D Renewables

The multi-disciplinary team provide support to EDF at a Group level in offshore wind, onshore wind and marine energy. They aim is to apply and expand skills to help EDF succeed in its renewable projects across the world and reach its 2030 targets. A key priority is to help reduce costs of renewables.

R&D Digital Innovation

The team leads the company's research into cutting-edge digital technologies. They aim to explore how digital can improve the operational safety and efficiency of EDF's fleet of power stations and transform the way customers use energy. A constant focus is the use of technology to enable the sustainable use of energy. Current priorities include artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain.

R&D Future Energy Systems

The team cover key research areas of zero carbon applications, zero carbon systems and energy hubs. They undertake research and develop demonstration projects in new markets and system design, such as smart grids; system flexibility and energy storage; decarbonisation of heat, transport and industry; and hydrogen production, storage and end use.

R&D Innovation

The Innovation team is responsible for exploring and driving the development of innovations adjacent to our core business, with a particular focus on innovations that accelerate the UK’s journey to net zero. They have two main activities: 1) incubating innovations from idea through to operation, and 2) building long-term relationships with startups in the form of collaboration or equity investment.

External funding

EDF UK R&D are actively supporting UK Government Research & Development programmes, and European programmes through participating in a number of part-funded innovation projects across Renewables, Nuclear, Digital Innovation and Future Energy Systems. The R&D Operations team facilitate delivery of these, ensuring that high quality deliverables are produced and that projects are delivered on time and in budget. Additionally, the team manages all the relevant stakeholders to ensure outcomes are fully potentialised and that the funding authority receives great value for money in the work conducted by our technical teams.

Careers with EDF R&D UK

If you’re interested in a career that will deliver change, join the R&D team at EDF. Together we can help Britain achieve net zero.

Have a look at the latest opportunities

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Internships

EDF’s R&D team is looking for passionate innovators to join us as interns. Gain hands-on experience driving real-world solutions.

Interested? Send us your name, email and CV.

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Research publications

Our Researchers have had numerous academic papers published on a variety of interesting technical topics

Smart Customers - key research areas of Global and Local Energy Systems; People, Processes & Buildings and Data Acquisition

2023, C. Kiely, O. Dubinin, "Bay Hydrogen Hub – Hydrogen-4-Hanson" Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator Stream 2A Feasibility Study

2022, C. Webster, et al. "Desktop Feasibility Study: Green Hydrogen in Steel Manufacture" Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Industrial Fuel Switching

2022, M. Akram, MF. Rojas Michaga, "H2 production via Biomass gasification Integrated with innovative one step Gas shift reforming and separation (BIG-H2)", Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme Phase 1

2019, M.Rogall, M. Brucoli "On the utilisation of the pseudo-capacitive capabilities of Li-ion cells for the provision of frequency response services"

2018, V. Trovato, A. Bialecki and A. Dallagi "Unit committment with inertia-dependent and multi-speed allocation of frequency response services", IEEE Transactions on Power Systems

2018, V. Trovato, I. Martinez-Sanaz, B. Chaudhuri and G. Strbac, "Preventing cascading tripping of distributed generators during non-islanding conditions using thermostatic loads", International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems

2017, V. Trovato, F. Teng and G. Strbac, "Role and Benefits of Flexible Thermostatically Controlled Loads in Future Low-Carbon Systems", IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid

2016, V. Trovato, I. Martinez-Sanaz, B. Chaudhuri and G. Strbac, "Advanced Control of Thermostatic Loads for Rapid Frequency Response in Great Britain", IEEE Transactions on Power Systems

Renewables - apply and expand skills to help EDF succeed in Offshore Wind, Onshore Wind and Marine Energy projects

2019, E. Borras Mora, J. Spelling, Adriaan H. van der Weijde, E. Pavageau, "The effects of mean wind speed uncertainty on project finance debt sizing for offshore wind farms", Journal of Applied Energy

2019, J. Paterson “Offshore wind installation vessels – A comparative assessment for UK offshore rounds 1 and 2”

2017, F. D'Amico, R. Mogre, S. Clarke, A. Lindgreen, M. Hingley, "How purchasing and supply management practices affect key success factors: the case of the offshore-wind supply chain", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

2017, A. Pérez-Ortiz, A G.L Borthwich, J. McNaughton, H C.M Smith, Q. Xiao, "Resource characterization of sites in the vicinity of an island near a landmass, Renewable Energy", Renewable Energy

2016, R. Mogre, S. Talluri, F. D'Amico, "A decision Framework to Mitigate Supply Chain Risks: An Application in the Offshore-Wind Industry", IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

2013, I. Afgan, J. McNaughton, S. Rolfo, D.D. Apsley, T. Stallard, P. Stansby, "Turbulent flow and loading on a tidal stream turbine by LES and RANS", International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow

2013, J. McNaughton, I. Afgan, D.D. Apsley, S. Rolfo, T. Stallard, P.K Stansby, "A simple sliding-mesh interface procedure and its application to the CFD simulation of a tidal-stream turbine", International Journal for Numerical methods in fluids

2013, J. McNaughton, F. Billard, A. Revell, "Turbulence modelling of low Reynolds number flow effects around a vertical axis turbine at a range of tip-speed ratios", Journal of Fluids and Structures

Nuclear - we're a centre of expertise in Modelling & Simulation and Natural Hazards & Environment

2022, Aloïs Tilloy, Bruce D Malamud, Amélie Joly-Laugel, "A methodology for the spatiotemporal identification of compound hazards: wind and precipitation extremes in Great Britain (1979–2019)"

2022, Eleanor D'Arcy, Jonathan A. Tawn, Dafni E. Sifnioti, "Accounting for Climate Change in Extreme Sea Level Estimation"

2022, Z. M. Lewis, J. A. Wild, M. Allcock, M.-T. Walach, "Assessing the Impact of Weak and Moderate Geomagnetic Storms on UK Power Station Transformers"

2022, C. Katsamis, T. Craft, H. Iacovides, J. Uribe, "Use of 2D and 3D unsteady RANS in the computation of wall bounded buoyant flows"

2021, A.J. Awang Draup; B. Rodgers; P.B. Prangnell; Q.M. Li; M.J. Lunt, "Modelling of Friction Stir Welded AA2139 Aluminium Alloy Panels in Tension and Blast"

2021, B. Liu, S. He, C. Moulinec, J. Uribe, "Coupled porous media approaches in sub-channel CFD"

2021, B. Liu, S. He, C. Moulinec, J. Uribe, "A coupling approach between resolved and coarse-grid sub-channel CFD"

2021, M. J. Owens, M. Lockwood, L. A. Barnard, C. J. Scott, C. Haines & A. Macneil, "Extreme Space-Weather Events and the Solar Cycle"

2021, C. Haines, M.J. Owens, L. Barnard, M. Lockwood, A. Ruffenach, K. Boykin, R. McGranaghan, "Forecasting Occurrence and Intensity of Geomagnetic Activity with Pattern-Matching Approaches"

2021, A. Faulkner, C. E Bulgin and C. J Merchant, "Characterising industrial thermal plumes in coastal regions using 3-D numerical simulations"

2021, B. Mcilwaine, M. Rivas Casado, "JellyNet: The convolutional neural network jellyfish bloom detector"

2020, J L. Blackall, H. Iacovides, J. C. Uribe, "Modeling of In-Line Tube Banks Inside Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor Boilers"

2020, I. Nistor, "Nuclear Digital Twins at EDF"

2020, A. Tilloy, B. Malamud, H.C. Winter, A. Joly-Laugel, "Evaluating the efficacy of bivariate extreme modelling approaches for multi-hazard scenarios"

2020, B. Liu, S. He, C. Moulinec, J. Uribe, "A Numerical Study of Turbulent Upward Flow of Super Critical Water in a 2×2 Rod Bundle with Non-Uniform Heating"

2020, P. Nguyen, J. Uribe, I. Afgan, D. Laurence, "A Dual-Grid Hybrid RANS/LES Model for Under-Resolved Near-Wall Regions and its Application to Heated and Separating Flows"

2019, B. Mcilwaine, M. Rivas Casado, P. Leinster, “Using 1st Derivative Reflectance Signatures within a Remote Sensing Framework to Identify Macroalgae in Marine Environments”, Remote Sensing

2019, A. Tilloy, B. Malamud, H.C. Winter, A. Joly-Laugel, “A review of quantification methodologies for multi-hazard interrelationships”, Earth-Science Reviews

2019, H.C. Winter, K. Brown, “How do we know how fast the wind may blow?”, Significance

2018, D. Cross, C. Onof, H.C. Winter, P. Bernardara, "Censored rainfall modelling of estimation of fine-scale extremes", Hydrol. Earth Systm. Sci, 22: 727-756

2017, T. Crump, G. Ferte, P. Mummery, A. Jivkov, P. Martinuzzi, V-X. Tran, "Dynamic fracture effects on remote stress amplification in AGR graphite bricks", Nuclear Engineering and Design

2017, T. Crump, G. Ferte, P. Mummery, A. Jivkov, V-X. Tran, "Dynamic fracture analysis by explicit solid dynamics and implicit crack propagation", International Journal of Solids and Structures

2017,P. Sharkey, J.A. Tawn, "A Poisson process reparameterisation for Bayesian inference for extremes", Extremes, 20(2):239-263

2017, H.C. Winter, "Making sense of multiple extreme weather events", Significance, 14: 6-7

2016, T. Crump, G. Ferte, A. Jivkov, P. Mummery, P. Martinuzzi, V-X. Tran, "3D Dynamic Crack Propagation within AGR Graphite Bricks"

2016, T. Crump, P. Mummery, A. Jivkov, V-X. Tran, "A meso-scale approach to modelling stable dynamic crack propagation in glass under rate-dependent loading", Procedia Structural Integrity

2016, H.C. Winter, S.J Brown, J.A. Tawn, ""Detecting changing behaviour of heatwaves with climate change", Dynamics and Statistics of the Climate System

2016, H.C. Winter, J. Tawn, S.J. Brown, "Modelling the effect of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation on extreme spatial temperature events over Australia", The Annals of Applied Statistics

2016, H.C. Winter, J.A Tawn, "kth-order Markov models for assessing heatwave risks", Extremes: Statistical Theory and Applications in Science, Engineering and Economics

2015, H.C. Winter, J.A. Tawn, "Modelling heatwaves in central France: a case study in extremal dependence", Journal of the Royal Statistical Society

Digital Innovation - The Digital Innovation team - leading the company’s research into cutting-edge digital technologies

2017, J. Murkin, R. Chitchyan, D. Ferguson, "Goal-Based Automation of Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading", From Science to Society

2016, C. Weeks, C. Delalonde, C. Priest, "The use of Digital Technology to Evaluate School Pupils' Grasp of Energy Sustainability", The 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts

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Work with us on an innovation

We're always looking to work with innovators so if you have an idea you'd like our team to review send us an elevator pitch for your product or service.