Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ALECS (Advanced Learning in Evolving Critical Systems)

Teaser

Globally, software-based systems are increasingly important to economic activity and to the normal functioning of our everyday lives. The scope, scale and interconnected nature of such systems are increasing rapidly, with the potential consequences of failure, security...

Summary

Globally, software-based systems are increasingly important to economic activity and to the normal functioning of our everyday lives. The scope, scale and interconnected nature of such systems are increasing rapidly, with the potential consequences of failure, security breaches or malfunction becoming a growing cause of concern. Evolving Critical Systems (ECS) that change over time and that are strategically important to their users are increasingly prevalent in software development, from business-critical systems such as airline websites to safety-critical systems such as automotive braking control systems.

Advanced Learning in Evolving Critical Systems (ALECS) is a training and career development COFUND fellowship programme coordinated by Lero - the Irish Software Research Centre. The programme will fund 26 two-year postdoc fellowships in the area of ECS and will provide international mobility, intersectoral exposure and interdisciplinary research opportunities at Lero. The initiative is co-funded by the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme and by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

ALECS will generate a diverse, mobile, skilled workforce and will contribute to European research and innovation. While developing researcher’s skills, ALECS will directly contribute to sustainable economic growth through supporting evidence-based research to drive innovation and new product development. On completion of the fellowships, fellows will have enhanced their career prospects by developing scientific, complementary, and transferable skills. The programme will also enable the researchers to establish and enforce their international research network both at the academic and non-academic sectors. The programme will also positively impact Lero’s academic and industry partners, through Lero’s established and ever-developing international networks, enhancing Lero’s reputation as a world-class research centre and a leading developer of emerging research talent. The international impact to industry will be facilitated through Lero’s established research collaborations with various multinational partners.

The ALECS programme main objectives are to provide:
1. Research opportunities at Lero in strategic priority areas in software research.
2. International mobility and intersectoral exposure.
3. Training and career development opportunities to the researchers through individual research projects under the supervision of a leading Lero researcher, mandatory 3-6 month intersectoral secondment to an industry partner, and cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills training.

Work performed

Programme launch: The launch event was strategically organised to coincide with the 150th birthday of Marie Skłodowska-Curie. It was held jointly with the launch for PERFORM, which is another MSCA programme also coordinated by Lero - the Irish Software Research Centre. This approach was taken with a view of maximising the programme’s visibility to a wider audience. The launch was well attended. There was excellent press coverage in the media. Articles were published in a number of leading online news outlets and print media.

Programme promotion: The strategy focused on attracting high-quality applications and was set-up to publicise the programme internationally as well as its first and second call for proposals. A dedicated logo was created to increase visibility. A dedicated programme website, alecs.lero.ie, was designed to act as the “central hub” for detailed information on the programme to potential applicants and to other stakeholders. There was an excellent number of total pageviews rising to 26,480 during the reporting period. The number of users who initiated at least one session was 6,111, and 85% of these users were outside Ireland. The total number of sessions was 9,061. A twitter account, @ALECSFellowship, was also created. Programme news and developments are regularly posted on twitter. Although our twitter page has a modest number of followers, our twitter activity has earned 50,900 impressions during the reporting period.

Calls for proposals and selection process: ALECS published 2 internationally advsertised calls for proposals in this reporting period. Researchers were selected following an open, transparent, merit-based, impartial and equitable selection procedure, based on international peer review. The international peer review stage was followed by an interview stage with Lero. There are currently 17 fellows in the programme (13 male, 4 female). A third call is planned for 9 unfilled fellowships.

Gender balance:The programme’s research themes are related to the Computer Science and Software Engineering, disciplines where females are notably underrepresented. The European Commission report She Figures 2015 stated, “women remain severely under-represented within the sub-field of computing” and that “they made up 21% of those pursuing PhDs in computing in 2012 (EU-28)”. Currently, 23% of the ALECS fellows are female.This is a significant achievement given the challenging environment and as this figure is higher than the European average for female ICT professionals (17%).

Training: The current fellows have participated in extensive transferable skills training to date and there is a full schedule planned as well as industry secondments. As part of its transferrable skills training programme, ALECS organised its first summer school, which covered communication and public engagement topics.

Final results

By providing training to researchers in the unique research environment of Lero and including substantial intersectoral involvement in the ALECS training programme, ALECS offers its fellows a diverse range of opportunities for a research career in both academic or industry settings, either in Ireland or globally.

ALECS aims to develop the next generation of ECS leaders to the highest international standards, developing cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills through the implementation of an individual research project, the development and regular review of a career development plan, a compulsory intersectoral secondment, and completion of the ALECS training programme. Fellows will complete modules in both complementary research skills and transferable skills, as well as attending three summer/winter schools. On completion of their 2-year fellowships, fellows will have developed competency in several areas, including but not limited to a wide variety of complementary research skills, commercialisation, communication, public engagement, networking and project management skills.

ALECS will increase standards for the recruitment, evaluation, hosting and training of fellows throughout all Lero academic and industry partners involved in the programme. ALECS will provide training to 26 researchers in the area of ECS, a critical and rapidly growing research area in Europe which impacts both European industry and citizens. It will also positively impact Lero’s academic and industry partners, through Lero’s established and ever-developing international networks, enhancing Lero’s reputation as a world-class research centre and a leading developer of emerging research talent. The international impact to industry will be facilitated through Lero’s established research collaborations with 16 multinational partners.

Website & more info

More info: http://alecs.lero.ie/.