Product Line Systems Engineering for Critical Nuclear Infrastructures: Research Questions and Opportunities

The development of Basic Nuclear Installations involves highly critical and complex systems that must comply with stringent safety, regulatory and security requirements. Early-stage architectural decisions are crucial, as they strongly influence costs, risks, and overall project success. However, current methods for architecture evaluation and Verification & Validation (V&V) often remain fragmented, implemented late in the life cycle and insufficiently connected to simulation and stakeholder needs and constraints. This paper aims to define a research pathway to an enriched framework extending an existing method to support early model-based architecture evaluation within a Product Line Engineering context. This approach shall leverage Model-Based Systems engineering, Product Line engineering, Pattern-Based Systems engineering, items federation and simulation techniques, all centered around the Unified Architecture Framework. The goal is to enable the design, evaluation and customization of critical nuclear systems. This work outlines a research trajectory aiming to strengthen digital continuity, improve and support decision-making.