The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad has partnered with CEEPL India (Coastal Engineering and Equipments (India) Private Limited) and French technology major Dassault Systèmes to establish the Centre for Design and Engineering in Nuclear Energy. Formalized under a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed during the Bharat Innovates 2026 summit in Nice, France, the new centre is India’s first dedicated Centre of Design Excellence in Nuclear Engineering. This initiative aims to build a highly skilled workforce and advanced design capabilities to support the modernization of the country’s civil nuclear sector.
Tripartite Collaboration for Nuclear Excellence
The establishment of the Centre for Design and Engineering in Nuclear Energy (CODENE) is formalised through a tripartite agreement between academia, domestic industry, and a global technology leader. Under the agreement, IIT Hyderabad provides the academic research infrastructure, faculty expertise, and student talent. CEEPL India, an Indian engineering services and equipment manufacturing firm, provides industrial domain knowledge and mechanical engineering insights. The French multinational software corporation Dassault Systèmes contributes its advanced engineering design suite and virtual twin technologies to the collaboration.
The agreement was signed during the Bharat Innovates 2026 summit, which was held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16, 2026. This summit, a key event under the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, was inaugurated jointly by the leaders of both nations to foster deep-tech partnerships. The creation of CODENE represents one of the major commercial and academic outcomes of the summit, showcasing a practical model of international technology transfer and domestic capacity building in the nuclear sector.
Key Focus Areas of CODENE
The centre aims to bridge the gap between theoretical nuclear research and practical industrial application. By focusing on design excellence, the facility will address key engineering challenges in the civil nuclear sector. The primary focus areas of the collaborative hub include:
| Research Domain | Core Focus Areas | Strategic Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Reactor Technologies | Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and advanced microreactors | Developing scalable, cost-effective, and flexible power generation systems. |
| Nuclear Safety | Safety simulations, thermal-hydraulic analysis, and containment modelling | Enhancing reactor resilience under extreme operating scenarios. |
| Material Science | Computational metallurgy and radiation-resistant materials | Designing longer-lasting, durable components for next-generation reactors. |
| Skill Development | Technical training programmes, workshops, and joint certifications | Creating a pipeline of specialized design engineers for the nuclear industry. |
Through these domains, CODENE seeks to support India’s research in microreactor technology, which is being explored in partnership with other premier institutions, including the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu. The integration of advanced computational models will enable researchers to simulate complex reactor physics and material interactions without requiring physical prototypes in the early stages of development.
Technology Integration and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform by Dassault Systèmes serves as the digital foundation for CODENE. This software platform allows engineers to create virtual twins, which are digital representations of physical systems. In nuclear engineering, virtual twins simulate real-world conditions, including heat distribution, structural stress, and radiation effects, on virtual reactor components. By testing reactor designs in a virtual environment, researchers can identify design flaws early, optimize safety parameters, and reduce the reliance on expensive physical prototypes.
Furthermore, the unified platform supports collaborative engineering. It enables teams from IIT Hyderabad, CEEPL India, and external partners to work simultaneously on complex design projects. The shared digital environment streamlines version control, keeps design documentation consistent, and helps meet safety standards set by nuclear regulatory bodies. This digital-first approach helps accelerate the overall design and engineering lifecycle for nuclear systems.
Strategic Alignment with India’s Nuclear Ambitions
The establishment of CODENE supports India’s long-term plan to scale up its clean energy infrastructure. The country aims to achieve 100 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capacity by 2047, which is a significant increase from its current capacity. This expansion is designed to provide stable, low-carbon baseload power to support energy-intensive industries, including artificial intelligence research, semiconductor manufacturing, and digital infrastructure.
This collaborative model aligns with the legislative reforms introduced in the SHANTI Act, 2025 (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act). Passed in December 2025, the Act repealed and replaced the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010. The SHANTI Act allows private sector participation in building and operating nuclear power facilities. It also establishes a clear operator liability framework to encourage domestic and international investment. By bringing together academic research and private industry partners, CODENE illustrates the type of public-private collaboration envisioned under the new law.
Key Takeaways
- IIT Hyderabad signed a tripartite MoU with CEEPL India and France-based Dassault Systèmes to establish India’s first Centre of Design Excellence in Nuclear Engineering.
- The new centre is named the Centre for Design and Engineering in Nuclear Energy (CODENE).
- The agreement was signed during the Bharat Innovates 2026 deep-tech summit held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16, 2026.
- The facility utilizes Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform to create virtual twins of nuclear reactor components and simulate physical operating conditions.
- The project supports India’s long-term goal of reaching 100 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by the year 2047.
- The collaboration aligns with the SHANTI Act, 2025, which was passed in December 2025 to permit private sector investment and participation in the civil nuclear energy value chain.
