iSERC Software Engineering Research Center (India) An Industry-University Co-operative Research Center A Proposal for Discussion Aditya P. Mathur Professor, Department of Computer Science Purdue University February 4, 2003

What is iSERC ? iSERC Faculty and students from universities Companies interested in supporting and benefiting from research prototypes, empirical data, algorithms, etc. conduct research in sponsor research projects in iSERC Research publications in international journals and conferences 5/7/2019 iSERC

Objectives of iSERC ? To promote industry-university collaborative research in all areas of software engineering. To offer faculty and students a forum for conducting and disseminating applied and basic research in software engineering. To move India from an absorber and service provider to a producer of new and the most advanced software technology. Move India into a leadership position. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Organization of iSERC ? Center Director. Manage research program Recruit faculty and companies Organize biannual showcases Research Coordinator Assist the Center Director with day-to-day functions of iSERC Industrial Advisory Board Advise the Center Director on the allocation of research funds to research projects proposed by faculty. Review center progress and advise the Center Director on the direction that the center should take. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Industrial Advisory Board Constitution One member of each industrial affiliate Chairman of the board elected by majority vote once every 2 years. Responsibility Advise the director on various management related activities of the center. Meet twice an year to review progress of funded projects, evaluate new proposals, and take funding decisions. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Faculty Responsibility Propose projects in consultation with one or more members of the IAB. Conduct research in collaboration with students and possibly with other faculty, report results to the IAB, publish and present research in journals and conferences. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Membership and Funding Each industrial affiliate pays an annual non-refundable center affiliation fee of Rs. 100,000. At most 20% of the affiliation fee can be used by the center director towards meeting the center administrative expenses that include salaries, travel, and other incidentals. . Ownership rules are defined in the membership agreement signed by the industrial and university members of the center. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Universities Encourage faculty to participate in center research. Institute a reward system to encourage and recognize research. Clearly differentiate the administrative and teaching load of faculty who engage in research and those who do not. Support the center through reduced indirect costs. Preferably all university members should waive indirect costs (IDC) during the first two years of the center operation. Subsequently the IDC must be limited to at most 25% of the cost of a research project. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Suggested Participants Universities: IIT-D, IIT-K, BITS, Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi Institute of Technology, IIsc, etc. Industrial: Infosys, Wipro, Microsoft, Dr. Reddy’s. and others. Note: It is highly desirable that member companies include various manufacturing sectors of the country including software, automobiles, telecom, food processing, clothing, and others. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Sample Research Areas Software process Real-time systems Testing and debugging Performance evaluation Security and safety 5/7/2019 iSERC

How do we start? Brain storming session: August 2003. Prepare in advance white paper, distribute to potential industrial affiliates and universities, and use this brain storming session to finalize the center structure and operating procedures. Recruitment drive: August-November 2003. Inaugural Showcase: Late November 2003. 5/7/2019 iSERC

Questions Government involvement ? Faculty, student, director, and research coordinator compensation? Credit to students for research work? Selection of center director? Location? University site management? International collaboration? iSERC and other fields of research such as bio-informatics, genomics, MIS, etc? 5/7/2019 iSERC