Reclaiming Software Engineering as the Enabling Technology for the Digital Age
Tanja E. J. Vos, Tijs van der Storm, Alexander Serebrenik, Lionel Briand, Roberto Di Cosmo, J. -M Bruel, Benoît Combemale
TL;DR
The paper argues that software engineering's identity is eroding due to policy blindness, fragmented incentives, and industrial disconnect, risking inadequate foundational research for the digital age. It advocates treating SE as a strategic enabling discipline rather than a mere technical support, with Europe-led initiatives to realign research, policy, and industry around long-term, foundational questions. A concrete plan is proposed: use FoSE for collective reset, articulate SE's scientific core, ensure consistent messaging, align agendas via SRIA, and invest in long-lived, shareable research infrastructure. The work emphasizes societal and governance dimensions—trust, sustainability, and regulatory readiness—demonstrating that revitalizing SE is essential for the maturity and responsible deployment of frontier technologies such as AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity.
Abstract
Software engineering is the invisible infrastructure of the digital age. Every breakthrough in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, photonics, and cybersecurity relies on advances in software engineering, yet the field is too often treated as a supportive digital component rather than as a strategic, enabling discipline. In policy frameworks, including major European programmes, software appears primarily as a building block within other technologies, while the scientific discipline of software engineering remains largely absent. This position paper argues that the long-term sustainability, dependability, and sovereignty of digital technologies depend on investment in software engineering research. It is a call to reclaim the identity of software engineering.