RULES
WNE INNOVATION AWARDS 2025

ARTICLE 1 - PRINCIPLE OF THE AWARDS

On the occasion of the 2025 edition of the World Nuclear Exhibition, GIFEN (Groupement des Industriels Français de l’Energie Nucléaire) and RX France (hereinafter the “Organizer”) are organizing the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS Contest to put forward the best innovations presented at the exhibition, in the field of nuclear energy.

ARTICLE 2 - DEFINITIONS

• WNE INNOVATION AWARDS: A contest aimed at selecting innovative projects in the nuclear field and rewarding the best projects with an innovation award presented at the 2025 edition of the World Nuclear Exhibition.

• Company type: See definition in §4.

• Category: See definition in §4.

• Project: Application established and submitted by the Project Leader to the WNE Innovation Awards.

• Project Leader: The Project Leader is a collective attached to an exhibitor. In the case where the application is submitted by several collectives, one of the collectives will be the Project Leader and will necessarily be attached to an exhibitor. The Project Leader is represented by a nominated person.

ARTICLE 3 - ADMITTED PROJECTS

Only WNE exhibitors may submit an application. In the case of a project involving several collectives, a Project Leader must be designated, who will be attached to an exhibitor.

ARTICLE 4 - CATEGORIES AND COMPANY TYPES

The projects submitted compete according to the 4 categories below (the "Categories"):

• To boost Nuclear Installation Performance and LTO (Long Term Operation)

• To build adaptive solutions to new challenges: pilotability, climate change, market instability or inefficiency…

• To optimize construction costs and lead times

• To innovate beyond electricity (medical, agriculture, propulsion, heat, hydrogen, desalination ...)

For each Category, 2 awards will be given according to the 2 following company types (the "Company types"):

• 1 award for large groups / Mid-sized companies

•1 award for SMEs / VSEs

The projects can focus on a product, a work, a process or an application (digital or not), and cover a technical/technological or support domain (human resources, training, finance, communication, legal, IT, ...)

ARTICLE 5 - DISTINCTIONS

5.1 Selected Applications

The jury reserves the right to dismiss applications that do not fully meet the criteria of the WNE Innovation Awards.

All selected applications will receive a signature banner to use before the exhibition as well as signage that they can be downloaded, printed, and used at the corresponding booth throughout the exhibition.

The title of the project, the company name, and the booth number will be featured in the WNE Daily on the first day of the exhibition, November 4, 2025.

5.2 Nominated Applications

Three nominated applications will be selected for each Category and each Company type, making a total of 6 nominees for each Category and 24 nominees for the entire WNE Innovation Awards program.

The nominees will be announced on October 13, 2025, and will receive:

• A "nominee" banner to insert in email signatures starting October 14, 2025.

• A presentation in the press release of the nominees for the WNE Innovation Awards sent on October 15, 2025.

• A mention in the following newsletter after 13 October 2025.

• A brief presentation of their project on the dedicated WNE Innovation Awards page on the WNE website starting October 15, 2025.

• A mention in the WNE Daily on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. • "Nominee" signage at their stand from the opening of the exhibition.

• A "nominee" diploma awarded after the ceremony on November 4, 2025.

5.3 Winners

A trophy will be awarded to each winner, who will also receive the following rewards in addition to the promotion offered to nominated projects:

• A "winner" banner to insert in email signatures on the evening of the WNE Innovation Awards ceremony.

• A mention in the WNE Innovation Awards press release sent on the evening of the ceremony.

• Promotion on the dedicated WNE Innovation Awards page on the WNE website.

• A mention in the WNE Daily on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

• A mention in the newsletter sent on the evening of Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

• A “winner” certificate awarded during the ceremony.

• "Winner" signage at their booth starting Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

• A mention in the 2025 winners' recap on the exhibitors' space and on the website of the next edition of WNE.

• In the case of a collaborative application presented by several parties, only the project leader will receive the trophy. The other participants in the winning collaborative application will receive a certificate.

ARTICLE 6 - EVALUATION CRITERIA BY THE JURIES

6.1 Common Criteria for All Categories

For all Categories, the following evaluation criteria will be considered:

Innovative nature of the application:

• Demonstration of the innovative nature compared to the international state of the art

• Publications made or patents filed or demonstrator

Nuclear safety and security:

• Contributes to consolidating safety

• Contributes to consolidating nuclear security

Contribution to making solutions affordable:

• Industrialization / generalization (reproducibility)

• Potential markets

Consideration of environmental impact / environmental benefits:

• Life cycle analysis

• Reduction of environmental footprint

Maturity:

• Funding obtained if applicable

• TRL (Technology Readiness Level) of the innovation equal to or greater than 7

Regarding the Large Groups / Mid-sized company type, a partnership between industrials and research organizations will be valued. A minimum score must be obtained on each criterion .

6.2 Specific Criteria for Each Category

TO BOOST NUCLEAR INSTALLATION PERFORMANCE AND LTO (LONG TERM OPERATION)

The performance of installations and their lifespan (Long Term Operation, or LTO) are major challenges for the nuclear industry to meet medium-term electricity needs. More broadly, performance reflects the ability of an innovation, a company, a collective, an action, etc., to achieve strategic, financial, operational, commercial objectives effectively and efficiently. This ability can be assessed through various indicators such as profitability, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, etc.

Thus, projects competing in this Category will be evaluated on the following criteria, in addition to the criteria defined in 6.1:

• Impact on production level

• Impact on maintenance duration or reduction of unplanned shutdowns

• Impact on lifespan

• Impact on profitability

• Impact on quality and/or customer satisfaction

TO CONTRIBUTE TO MORE ADAPTIVE SOLUTIONS TO NEW CHALLENGES: NEED FOR PILOTABILITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, MARKET INSTABILITY OR INEFFICIENCY…

In the context of new challenges, the nuclear industry will have to adapt to rising issues: increase of renewable energies in the energy mix, climate change, market instability, inefficiency of economic models. Nuclear production represents a decarbonized control tool to ensure the balance of supply-demand in electrical systems, and over several time scales: real-time to multi-year. In addition, the nuclear industry will have to adapt to climate change: extreme temperatures, water shortages… and economic models are key to provide the right incentives when these new challenges disrupt the energy markets.

Thus, projects competing in this Category will be evaluated on the following criteria, in addition to the criteria defined in 6.1:

• Flexibility in response to supply-demand balance needs or climate changes

• Economic valorization of flexibility

TO OPTIMIZE CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND LEAD TIMES

The construction of nuclear installations is a key factor in their profitability. Moreover, it contributes to the industry's image and acceptability.

Thus, projects competing in this Category will be evaluated on the following criteria, in addition to the criteria defined in 6.1:

• Measured impact on construction lead times

• Measured impact on construction costs Particular attention will be paid to safety issues in the evaluation of projects in this Category.

TO INNOVATE BEYOND ELECTRICITY (MEDICAL, AGRICULTURE, PROPULSION, HEAT, HYDROGEN, DESALINATION ...)

The nuclear sector has significant development potential beyond electricity production, whether in the fields of heat production, low-carbon hydrogen and valuable molecules, space or medical nuclear, or in the field of agriculture.

The evaluation of projects in this Category will be carried out according to the criteria defined in 6.1.

ARTICLE 6 - ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Registration for new applications is in English only on a form available directly in the exhibitor area from June 2023.

To be eligible to the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS, applicants must apply before September 15, 2023:

• Fill in the application form in English on the exhibitor portal respecting the size limitations

• Read and accept WNE INNOVATION AWARDS rules

• Download pictures, logo in high resolution, documentation

• Specify for which category (big groups or SMEs and mid-caps) they apply

• Justify the participation as an exhibitor at WNE 2023

• Not be a WNE 2021 winner or nominee with this project

Exhibitors can present to the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS maximum 25 projects (Maximum 5 files by category).

Each file can only compete in one category.

ARTICLE 7 - APPLICATION PROCEDURES

7.1 Submission of Applications

Applications must be submitted on the platform dedicated to exhibitors, in English only. All registrations shall require compliance with the following provisions:

• Application form completed in English on the exhibitor space, including the upload of photos, videos, high-definition logo, and required documentation

• Acceptance of these general rules of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS

• Choice of the award for which the project is competing (Company type, Category)

• Justification of their participation as an exhibitor

A company can submit a maximum of 20 applications (5 applications per Category). Projects that were nominated (and especially winners) in 2023 cannot participate in the program. Each application can only compete in one Category. The selection jury is composed of international industry experts.

7.2 Schedule of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS Program

The schedule of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS program is as follows:

• Mid-April 2025: opening of applications

• Mid-September 2025: closing of applications

• October 13, 2025: announcement of nominated projects

• November 4, 2025: award ceremony for the winners at the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS (Paris Villepinte).

ARTICLE 8 - ACCURACY OF INFORMATION / CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Applicants commit to providing only accurate and sincere information in the application and, in particular, to avoid any omission or inaccuracy that could lead to an erroneous judgment.

In case of irregularity, the Jury reserves the right to withdraw an already awarded prize, to propose that the project compete in another Company type or Category, or to withdraw the project from the competition, without the applicants being able to make any claim.

Applicants can only present projects, products, solutions, or systems of their own manufacture or design or in which they are stakeholders.

Participants guarantee the organizer that the projects, products, solutions, or systems they present do not infringe on the rights of third parties, that they hold the intellectual property rights on the products, solutions or systems they are submitting, and that they have obtained all the rights and/or authorizations required to enter them in the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS..

Participants assume full responsibility for their projects, products, solutions, or systems and their actions towards third parties, and the organizer's responsibility cannot, in any way, be engaged. In case of a claim made by a third party against the organizer, regarding an act or products, solutions, or systems of a participant, the concerned participant will indemnify the organizer for all reasonable expenses incurred by the organizer for its defense and any possible convictions it may have to endure.

The organizer declines all liability in this area.

ARTICLE 9 - JURIES

For each project, a submission is complete when it includes g all the necessary information to inform the jury's judgment:

• The participation file completed by the exhibitor,

• High-definition photos/visuals,

• Documentation containing the technical characteristics of the project,

• Any additional documents.

Each jury (one per Category) will be composed of a maximum of 5 members and a president.

In each jury, members will come from different organizations and countries. If a jury member's organization or company is competing, the member will not be able to participate in the evaluation of their organization or company's application.

The list of jury members will be published on the WNE website in the "WNE INNOVATION AWARDS" section (world-nuclear-exhibition.com).

The Jury's decisions regarding the awarding of prizes are final and without appeal.

Each jury member must produce a scoring grid according to the criteria stated in the paragraph related to their Category. The organizer will submit an evaluation grid to the jury president, which will remain confidential and exclusively known to the jury members. It will not be communicated to any other person or entity. The jury president has full freedom to organize conference calls to communicate with their members. Each jury member commits to respecting the confidentiality of the information and documents entrusted to them (not sending copies of the applications to anyone, not disclosing the name of a competing company under any circumstances and not disclosing any information about the jury's choice before the official announcement of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS).

ARTICLE 10 - ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS

The nominees will be announced on October 13, 2025. The final results (announcement of the winners) will be proclaimed on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, during the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS ceremony. Each winner may refer to this during the exhibition and communicate it to the media.

ARTICLE 11  - CONDITIONS FOR USE OF INFORMATION

The names and descriptions of the projects admitted competing may be the subject of special communication to the press and professionals before and during the exhibition. Any commercial or advertising reference to an award received at these WNE INNOVATION AWARDS must specify the exact title of the award, the year it was awarded, the WNE logo, and the Category in which the Award was given.

ARTICLE 12 - ACCEPTANCE OF CONTEST RULES

Participation in the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS entails full and complete acceptance of all the clauses of these rules, without the possibility of contesting the terms and results. The jury's decision cannot be disputed. By accepting the conditions of participation, the Project Leader accepts the jury's decision without the possibility of appeal.

ARTICLE 13 - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Project Leaders guarantee to the organizer that they hold (or have obtained from the holders) intellectual property rights on the goods/creations/brands they present and all the rights and/or authorizations necessary for their presentation at the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS.

The organizer accepts no responsibility in this area.

The Project Leaders authorize the organizer to publish, as part of information and communications related to the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS and/or the WNE exhibition, their name and surname, the complete contact details of their company, the description they have provided of their projects, products, solutions, or systems, without being able to claim any right or remuneration of any kind.

Participants authorize the organizer to photograph their projects, products, solutions, or systems free of charge and to reproduce and represent, for the duration of the relevant rights, free of charge and in any territory, the projects, products, solutions, or systems they present, in the communication tools of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS and/or the exhibition (Internet, visitor guide, invitation cards, visitor map, promotional video...) and more generally on all media intended to promote the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS and/or the WNE exhibition (photographs of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS and/or the WNE exhibition to appear in the traditional press or Internet, television program made on/during the INNOVATION AWARDS and/or the exhibition, without this list being exhaustive). Participants guarantee to the organizer that they have obtained from the holders of intellectual property rights on the projects, products, solutions, or systems they present, all the rights and/or authorizations necessary for the aforementioned uses.

ARTICLE 14 - MODIFICATION OR CANCELLATION OF THE WNE INNOVATION AWARDS

The organizer reserves the right to rule on all cases not provided for in these rules and to introduce new provisions whenever it deems necessary for the proper conduct of the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS.

The nullity, for any reason, of all or part of one of the provisions of these rules will not affect the other provisions in any way. In such a case, the organizer undertakes to implement in good faith the conclusion of a provision having as far as possible an equivalent effect.

ARTICLE 15 - MODIFICATION OF THE RULES / INDIVISIBILITY

Entry for the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS implies full acceptance of all the provisions of these rules, with no possibility to dispute their terms and conditions or the results.

The decisions of the jury regarding the prizes to be awarded are final and may not be appealed. When the exhibitor accepts the participation conditions, he accepts the decision of the jury without recourse.

ARTICLE 16 - CONFIDENTIALITY / PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

The personal data provided by the Project Leader to the organizer is necessary for the execution, administration, management, and monitoring of their participation in the Awards. The persons mentioned in the application form and subsequent exchanges may be contacted by the organizer and the INNOVATION AWARDS jury to facilitate their participation in the INNOVATION AWARDS and improve the services offered and the experience of both the participant and RX France.

This data is processed in accordance with the Privacy Principles accessible via the Personal Data link. In accordance with the European Regulation for the protection of personal data (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), the participant in the WNE INNOVATION AWARDS has the right to access, delete, oppose, and rectify the information concerning them, which they can exercise by clicking on the Your Rights link.

ARTICLE 17 - DISPUTES - LIMITATIONS

In the event of a dispute, regardless of its nature, the Project Leader undertakes to submit their claim to the organizer, before any procedure, by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. Any action initiated before the expiration of a 15-day period following the receipt of said letter will be inadmissible.

The parties expressly waive the right to invoke the provisions of Article 1195 of the Civil Code relating to unforeseen circumstances and Article 1223 of the Civil Code relating to price reduction in the event of imperfect performance.

In accordance with Article 2254 of the Civil Code, the parties agree to set a one-year (1 year) limitation period for rights and actions related to the liability that the organizer may incur either from their own actions, those of an employee, or those of a third party, regardless of the cause. This period will begin to run from the expiration of the 15-day period provided in the previous paragraph.

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE ORGANIZER ARE ENTIRELY AND EXCLUSIVELY GOVERNED BY FRENCH LAW. IN THE EVENT OF A DISPUTE, THE COMMERCIAL COURT OF NANTERRE HAS SOLE JURISDICTION.

APPENDIX 1 - CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D), RESEARCH REACTORS, GEN IV, REACTORS, NON-ENERGY APPLICATION

• Research centres and labs
• Nuclear fusion
 • Non-Energy applications

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (NPP) OPERATORS

• Large/high-power reactors
• Small modular reactors (SMRs)
• Network management

FUEL CYCLE PLANT OPERATORS

• Mining/extraction
• Conversion and enrichment
• Fabrication of fuel assemblies
• Reprocessing and MOX
• Packaging, handling and transportation of fuel

WASTE MANAGEMENT

• Waste treatment
• Recycling and reuse
• Packaging, handling and transportation of waste

SUBCONTRACTORS

• Civil engineering and support
• Fabrication of large components (turbo-alternator group, primary circuit equipment – steam generator, pressurizer, pumps, tanks • Rotating machinery (pumps)
• Material/metal suppliers (steel, copper etc)
• Boiler making and forging • Pipework and welding
• Ventilation and airconditioning (VAC)
• Electrical equipment, computers and instrumentation
• Remote control
• Taps
• Tools
• Consulting, engineering and other services
• IT
• Lifting and handling
• Logistics – cleaning and services
• Transportation
• Radiation protection
• Testing and control
• Certification
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Property services
• Site security/protection

PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES, SAFETY AUTHORITIES, ASSOCIATIONS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, MEDIA, OTHERS

• Safety authorities
• Trade and industry associations
• Governmental and international organisations
• Education and training
• Recruitment
• Financial institutions and Insurance companies
• Media
• Others

APPENDIX 2 - CLASSIFICATION FOR COMPANY TYPE

(LAW NO 2008-1354 RELATED TO THE ECONOMIC COMPANIES CATEGORY - DECEMBER 18, 2008)