Valencia, Spain, 22–25 September 2026
The DECSoS Workshop continues an initiative of the ERCIM-DES Working Group and has been successfully sustained over the years. Held in conjunction with SAFECOMP 2026, it follows a well-established tradition dating back to 2006. Originally focused on embedded systems and their dependability properties, the workshop evolved to emphasise cyber-physical systems, reflecting closer links to physics, mechatronics, and interaction with partly unpredictable environments.
A current focus is the trustworthiness of smart and autonomous systems composed of cognitive CPS integrated into IoT infrastructures. Key issues include digitalisation, in particular extensive V&V activities on Digital Twins, and new paradigms in software and systems engineering, such as functional safety in systems including AI-based elements.
Given the considerable societal impact of these technologies, dependability must be addressed holistically, encompassing resilience, sustainability, and ethically aligned design. Cognitive systems, CPS, and IoT are priority research areas in Horizon Europe and in public–private partnerships such as the Chips Joint Undertaking.
Sessions
Sessions are planned on:
- Dependable and resilient embedded systems, systems of cyber-physical systems
- Highly automated (autonomous) Systems and Robotics
- AI and autonomy: functional safety, cybersecurity, and human–machine teaming
- Medical devices and healthcare: safety, security, and conformity assessment
- Smart Anything Everywhere and the Internet of Things (IoT)
- Digitalisation towards Society 5.0 (Industry 5.0, Farming 5.0, smart mobility, digital cities, smart health), with particular attention to environmental, sovereignty, sustainability, security, human aspects, and ethically aligned design.
The sessions are addressing thematic topics such as:
- Multi-core platforms and mixed criticality systems
- Safety and security co-engineering for trustworthiness
- Validation and Verification, multi-concern and modular assurance
- Domain-specific critical applications (industrial, mobility, medical devices and others)
- Standardization (interoperability, trustworthiness), certification and ethical concerns.
The topics cover aspects ranging from concepts to deployment and maintenance. To remain distinct from the SAFECOMP conference mainstream, the workshop focuses on reports of ongoing work in progress, fostering discussion, experience exchange, and the presentation of unconventional subtopics. Reports on European or national research projects, as part of required dissemination, as well as industrial experience reports, are particularly welcome.
All papers will be reviewed by at least three reviewers. The workshop proceedings will be published as a complementary volume to the SAFECOMP Proceedings in Springer LNCS. Papers (6–12 pages) should be prepared according to the Springer LNCS formatting guidelines. Submission will be via EasyChair (link to be announced in February 2026):
Deadlines:
- Full paper submission: 4 May 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 18 May 2026
- Camera-ready submission: 7 June 2026
- Workshop: 22 September 2026.
The Programme Committee is composed of EWICS and ERCIM members.
Please contact the Workshop and Programme Committee Chairs:
Erwin Schoitsch
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Amund Skavhaug, NTNU, Norway
