The NURBS-enhanced finite element method (NEFEM) represents a major steptowards a seamless integration between the processes of computer aideddesign (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA). A novel mesh generation paradigm enables the generation of finite element meshes while circumventing the time consuming de-featuring stage. The meshes that are created capture the exact CAD geometry, removing the uncertainty introduced by approximate geometric models. The NEFEM rationale can be introduced into existing finite element codes with minor changes and used to perform high fidelty simulations. This provides a major opportunity to speed up analysis without compromising accuracy