A joint Informatics Europe / ERCIM Working Group on Software Research has published the position paper “Reclaiming Software Engineering as the Enabling Technology for the Digital Age.” The paper argues that software engineering must be recognised as a foundational enabling technology underpinning advances across artificial intelligence, data-driven systems, cyber-physical systems, and digital infrastructures.
The authors highlight that, despite its central role, software engineering is often treated as secondary to other digital technologies. The paper calls for renewed investment in software research addressing scalability, dependability, sustainability, and human-centric development, and for stronger integration of software engineering perspectives into European research and innovation strategies. Repositioning software engineering, the paper argues, is essential for ensuring that future digital systems are trustworthy, maintainable, and aligned with societal needs.
Reference:
T. E. Vos, et al., “Reclaiming Software Engineering as the Enabling Technology for the Digital Age,” arXiv preprint, arXiv:2601.14861, 2026. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.14861