COMBEST will provide a formal framework for component based design of complex embedded systems. This framework will (1) Enable formal integration of heterogeneous components, such as with different models of communication or execution; (2) Provide complete encapsulation of components both for functional and extrafunctional properties and develop foundations and methods ensuring composability of components; (3) Enable prediction of emergent key system characteristics such as performance and robustness (timing, safety) from such characterizations of its subcomponents; and (4) Provide certificates for guarantees of such key system characteristics when deployed on distributed HW-architectures.

To achieve these objectives, COMBEST will (a) Develop a design theory for complex embedded systems, fully covering heterogeneity, interface specifications, composability, compositionality, and refinement for functional and extra-functional properties; (b) Build on substantial highly recognized background results of the academic partners, partly carried out within the integrated project SPEEDS; (c) Extend results of the Integrated Project SPEEDS, both regarding heterogeneous rich components and compositional analysis methods; (d) Collaborate with the best US groups in embedded system design to build critical mass in a strategic area of vital interest to the European industrial ecosystem.