Systems engineering for Big Science
The pursuit of big science requires the realisation of increasingly complex and technological advanced systems.
In industry, systems engineering has emerged as a discipline aimed at mitigating uncertainty and improving control of cost and time in large-scale, highly complex engineering projects. The Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) recognises the importance of systems engineering in developing complex systems and is therefore adapting the associated methods and tools for developing nuclear fusion power plants and their own research infrastructure. This Mikroniek article provides an overview of the insights gained in applying systems engineering tools and methods during the development of a pulsed laser deposition research cluster. (Photo: DIFFER / Bart van Overbeeke)
