UOC takes part in European project involving 32 institutions to use artificial intelligence to drive the future of software

The proliferation of communication systems in all sectors, including industry, health or transport, has increased the complexity and challenges involved in designing software and applications that are guaranteed to run securely and appropriately.  Securely and effectively implementing the software required has become a priority for the future, and automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly major role. 

That is the objective of AIDOaRt, a project focusing on continuous modelling, coding, development, deployment and monitoring of software to achieve increased automation with artificial intelligence in cyber-physical systems. Thirty-two institutions and universities in seven European countries are working on the project, including the SOM Research Lab research group at the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), a research centre at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) which focuses its research on systems and software engineering, covering everything from code modelling and design to software development and use. Indeed, the UOC has launched a new programme linked to this professional sector. The Bachelor's Degree in Software Development is a 180-credit (ECTS) programme taught entirely in English.

"Automation through technology based on AI systems has become one of the key areas of progress, but it requires more advanced software development techniques that are not yet sufficiently developed," according to Abel Gómez, a researcher at the IN3 SOM Research Lab.

According to the leaders of the project, obtaining information using logs of events, gathering data on behaviour in real time, including with sensors, is potentially very valuable, but it requires specific methods and tools which are able to extract knowledge from large volumes of data for it to be analysed and used productively.

In order to assess and achieve the implementation and continuous deployment and integrate innovations, efficient technological data management and real-time event analysis, AIDOaRt has a budget estimated at 23 million Euros over the next three years. These funds are financed by the participating institutions and the member states, and the European Commission is contributing 30%. The aim is to obtain significant information to achieve continuous improvement and the implementation of new software designs.

Important recognition

Participation in this project not only provides significant backing for the team to carry out its research, but also highlights the innovative work done at the UOC's SOM Research Lab. "Participating in this type of European projects is not only recognition of our work, but also an important opportunity to develop and apply our knowledge to real world problems, as we will be leading tasks that will be crucial for carrying out this project," stresses Gómez. 

In specific terms, the UOC researchers will be responsible for defining the languages and models in the common vocabulary to represent all the data obtained from various sources.  After analysing those logs, the aim is to represent and promote the languages that enable all this information to be used in various phases of the software development process, in its deployment and its execution.

"We're not starting from scratch.  We've carried out other projects in the past which AIDOaRt is based on, but the objective now is to improve those integration processes between the design and the execution of the software with artificial intelligence techniques, such as machine learning, and to anticipate how software behaves when it is running," says the UOC researcher.

"At the moment, we are starting up and organizing the various phases of the project, but the ultimate goal is to design development and deployment processes that can be applied to the execution of cyber-physical systems, like the Internet of things, and to try and exploit the opportunities of artificial intelligence in various fields," concludes Gómez.

This UOC research supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

The project leading to this application has received funding from the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101007350. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, Spain.

UOC R&I

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century, by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health. Over 500 researchers and 51 research groups work among the University's seven faculties and two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and open knowledge serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu. #UOC25years