Cultivating a Global Systems Engineering Research Network
The latest special issue of INCOSE INSIGHT Magazine begins with a note from guest editors Dr. Dinesh Verma (Executive Director, Systems Engineering Research Center/SERC & Acquisition Innovation Research Center/AIRC) and Dr. Wouter Leibbrandt (Science and Operations Director, TNO Embedded Systems Innovation/ESI) introducing the Archimedes Initiative. The effort represents a collaboration among four leading research centers from around the globe—the DLR Institute of Systems Engineering for Future Mobility (Germany), TNO-ESI (The Netherlands), the SERC (USA) and the Center for Trustworthy Edge Computing Systems and Applications (TECoSA) at KTH (Sweden)—that aims to accelerate innovation in systems engineering (SE) research.
The centers are four of a limited number of institutes that conduct research into the modernization of systems engineering principles, practices, and methodologies. According to Dr. Verma, “The work of innovation requires collaboration among leaders in research, such as the founding Archimedes centers, as well as engagement and validation with the practitioner community and a view towards application.” The centers form a global partnership that operates in a diverse ecosystem with nodes in industry, government agencies, and academia.
The first four papers in the INSIGHT edition present the research priorities and roadmaps from the four Archimedes Initiative members in the spirit of engaging the broader SE research and practice community for their review and insights. The diversity in road mapping approaches reflects specific characteristics of the application domain of each research center and how these complement each other: DLR works in the field of automotive and maritime mobility; TNO-ESI targets the high-tech equipment industry; SERC works with the defense industry; and TECoSA works with the automotive, truck, and aircraft industry.
Regarding the roadmaps, Dr. Leibbrandt remarks, “The synergy across the diverse application domains of the Archimedes centers is highlighted by the common themes and concerns that run through these roadmaps, such as the need for novel principles and methods to ensure trustworthiness of future systems.” All roadmaps mention the need for automation or automated assistance with complex engineering tasks. Further, the advent of powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques calls for novel methodologies to manage their promise and the associated concerns.
Presenting the roadmaps in INCOSE INSIGHT represents the hope of the Archimedes Initiative to provide a global platform for meaningful research collaboration that will include providing access to data and information from sponsors and organizations from other geographies to calibrate local findings. “Archimedes will bring together partners from various ecosystems to exchange views, experiences, and best practices,” said Dr. Verma. “It is an opportunity to raise the profile of systems engineering within the broader community of decision and policy makers.”
For more information on Archimedes Initiative member centers:
DLR Institute of Systems Engineering for Future Mobility (Germany)
TNO-ESI (The Netherlands)
Systems Engineering Research Center (USA)
Center for Trustworthy Edge Computing Systems and Applications (TECoSA) at KTH (Sweden)