A coalition of European researchers and companies is calling on the EU to invest around 1 billion euros in fundamental software research and digital infrastructure over the next eight years. The proposal is part of the new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for the Future of Software, aimed at strengthening Europe’s digital sovereignty. The initiative originated at Dutch software engineering association Versen and is led by Tanja Vos of the Open University and Universitat Politècnica de València and Tijs van der Storm of Dutch research institute CWI and the University of Amsterdam. Experts from organizations including Siemens, Canon and Ericsson contributed to the agenda.
The SRIA identifies four priorities: reliable, secure and compliant software, sustainable large-scale software systems, sovereign and resilient digital infrastructure and human and organizational capabilities. The coalition argues that Europe currently underinvests in foundational software research and public software infrastructure, even though software underpins areas ranging from AI and healthcare to energy and critical infrastructure. It proposes a long-term European program involving the European Commission, member states, industry and researchers.
The agenda was presented to Thibaut Kleiner, director for Future Networks at the EC’s DG Connect. He suggested that a Joint Undertaking, an EU public-private partnership for large-scale research and infrastructure projects, could be one way to organize such an effort.
