The initiative responds to a persistent investment gap in foundational software research and public software infrastructure. The SRIA initiative originated in the Netherlands at the Dutch Association for Software Engineering (VERSEN), which is facilitated by CWI. The initiators are Prof. dr. Tanja Vos (Universitat Politècnica de València/Open University) and Prof. dr. Tijs van der Storm (CWI/University of Amsterdam).
Additional investment to strengthen European software capabilities
The SRIA identifies which software capabilities are essential for Europe to ensure a sovereign, resilient and reliable digital future. The agenda identifies four research priorities that will require additional investment of around one billion euros over the next eight years:
- reliable, secure and compliant software systems;
- large-scale software systems capable of evolving sustainably;
- sovereign and resilient digital infrastructure;
- human and organisational capabilities.
The agenda also calls for coordinated European action. “Software forms the basis of Europe’s digital infrastructure, from AI and healthcare to energy, mobility and critical infrastructure,” says Prof. Dr Tijs van der Storm. “For digital sovereignty, reliable AI and long-term competitiveness, Europe must retain control over these software foundations.” SRIA calls for clear institutional ownership of strategic software within the European Commission. The additional budget could be invested in the form of a sustainable European programme bringing together the Commission, Member States, industry and the research community. Director Thibaut Kleiner suggested the possibility of establishing a Joint Undertaking: a specific form of public-private partnership established by the European Union to carry out large-scale research, development or infrastructure projects with a significant impact.“ This SRIA is just the start. Now that we have a shared European vision for the future of software, the next challenge is to turn that vision into action,” said Prof. Dr Tanja Vos.
About the organisers:
- Prof. dr Tijs van der Storm is group leader of Software Analysis and Transformation at CWI, professor at the University of Amsterdam and chair of the Software Research Working Group of the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM).
- Prof. dr Tanja Vos is professor at the Open University and the Universitat Politècnica de València, and chair of the Informatics Europe (IE) Software Research Working Group.
- Experts from academia and industry — including Siemens, Canon, Ericsson, Eiffel Software, Software Heritage, HiPEAC and the French Secrétariat général pour l’investissement (SGPI) — contributed to the development of this agenda.
