GRK 1076:  Trustworthy Software Systems - Construction, Certification, Application

• Subject Area: Computer Science
• Term: from 2005 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 441943

Software increasingly influences our daily life, as we depend on a raising number of technical systems controlled by software. Additionally, the ubiquity of Internet-based applications increases our dependency on the availability of those software systems. Exemplarily consider complex embedded software control systems in the automotive domain, or IT systems for eGovernment and eHealth. Fortunately, the rise of the software industry creates jobs for academically trained professionals and generates an increasing proportion of the national creation of value. However, this increased dependency on software systems intensifies the consequences of software failures. Therefore, the successful deployment of software systems depends on the extent we can trust these systems. This relevance of trust is gaining awareness in industry. Several software vendor consortia plan to develop so-called Trusted Computing platforms. These current initiatives primarily focus on security, while trust is a much broader concept. In fact, trust is given by several properties, such as safety, correctness, reliability, availability, privacy, performance, and certification.Therefore, the graduate school will contribute to this comprehensive view on trusted software systems by bundling the Oldenburg computing science competences with those of computer law to develop new interdisciplinary scientific methods for creating trustworthy software systems and to educate highly qualified graduates who transfer into practice the required skills for constructing and certifying trustworthy software systems. From a technical point of view, the research programme of the Research Training Group builds on and advances the paradigm of component-based software engineering. The scientific methods to be developed in the Research Training Group vary according to the aspects of trust under investigation. For example, correctness is demonstrated by mathematical proofs while quantifiable quality properties, such as availability, reliability, and performance require analytical prediction models, which need additional empirical studies for calibration and validation. Generally, benefits of software engineering methods must be demonstrated empirically by case studies and controlled experiments.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Appelrath (†); Professor Dr. Eike Best; Professorin Dr. Susanne Boll; Professor Dr. Werner Damm; Professor Dr. Claus Möbus; Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Nebel; Professor Dr. Ralf Heinrich Reussner; Professor Dr.-Ing. Frank Slomka; Professor Dr. Jürgen Taeger; Professor Dr.-Ing. Oliver Theel; Professorin Dr. Heike Wehrheim
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Wilhelm Hasselbring, from 4/2005 until 9/2008; Professor Dr. Ernst-Rüdiger Olderog, since 10/2008