Tools and Methods for Software Development

Specific Challenge: The quality levels required for complex and critical systems for example in terms of reliability, resilience and automatic adaptation, still represent a major challenge given current software development methods and tools.

Breakthroughs in this area could significantly improve the growth and competitiveness of the European industry and encourage faster innovation cycles. They could also foster a more competitive EU software industry, especially in the sector of large and interoperable software systems for industrial and public sector applications.

Scope: Proposals are expected to cover one or both of the themes identified below.

         Software tools and methods for large, complex and data-intensive systems: Tools and methods for incorporating integrity, robustness, reliability and resilience into evolving software systems across the complete software lifecycle, especially for complex and secure business-critical systems. Innovative means to manage the complexity of large software and data-intensive systems, including simulation, testing and verification.

         Software architectures and tools for highly distributed applications: Novel approaches to development, deployment, management and dynamic reconfiguration of distributed applications. Architectures and tools to maximise quality of experience in elastically scalable applications. Particular account should be taken of data location, latency and data throughput in heterogeneous cloud environments including specialised hardware resources and sensors.

Expected impact:

         A significant and substantiated productivity increase in the development, testing, verification, deployment and maintenance of data-intensive systems and highly distributed applications.

         Availability and market take-up of innovative tools for handling complex software systems. A credible demonstration that larger and more complex problems can be effectively and securely tackled.

         At macro level, evidence of potential for productivity gains through appropriate use cases in EU industry.

Types of action:

Research & Innovation Actions – Proposals requesting a Small contribution are expected