The growing complexity of software-intensive, real-time embedded systems, combined with constant quality and time-to-market constraints creates new challenges for engineering practices in this domain. These systems are developed according to a traditional application of the V cycle, where validation and verification activities start only when implementation and integration is completed. Major issues, often related to the architecture and introduced early in the process, are not found until integration and validation. At this time, they are more difficult and more expensive to fix.

While preserving the V cycle, we promote a more iterative and incremental approach to software development that will be driven by the early validation and verification activities. The later is the key focus of the VERDE project, which has two major goals:

1. To develop a solution for iterative, incremental, development and validation of real-time and embedded systems, which integrates testing and analysis tools.
2. To foster the industrialisation of this solution, through a close

collaboration between technology providers and end users from different domains (Software Radio, Space, Railway, Automotive)

This project will be an opportunity for a close collaboration between mature technology providers and end users from different sectors of the Industry, with the end goal of investigating new directions for the next generation of engineering tools.

In the different industrial domains targeted by the VERDE project, software is more and more expanded, pushing away new frontiers with hardware. Component-based architectures and Model-Driven Engineering are increasingly accepted, and related standards emerge as prospective technologies to cope with complexity (e.g. MARTE). Still, Integration Validation & Verification (IVV) issues remains due to the lack of integration between tools and execution platforms, with an iterative validation driven strategy suitable for the software development processes used in the targeted domains. For end users involved in VERDE, reaching these goals will permit a reduction of development costs along with an improved quality of the overall product.

Building on the experience and the results from other European research projects, and with a strong partnership between major corporations, SME, and academics from different European countries (France, Germany, Spain, and Norway), the VERDE project will result in a novel approach that is ready for large-scale deployment in the Industry.

In order to turn the VERDE technical capabilities into Return Of Investment on the European market, the project results will be consolidated, capitalised, promoted and provided to industry by well-identified and recognised actors. SME involved in VERDE will play a key role on this aspect. They will be able to provide a combination of assets encompassing expertise, tool provision and related service, in a package being specifically tailored to the precise end-users needs and peculiarities. VERDE will therefore create new opportunities for SME working in the emerging market of test and analysis-driven solutions in Europe.

The expected outcome of the VERDE project is a net improvement of productivity, predictability and cost control in the development process. The VERDE solution will be readily exploitable by software engineering vendors and service providers.