The senate of the German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved a priority program (SPP)
about "Organic Computing", which started its first phase July 1st, 2005.
This call for proposals concerns the third and final phase of the priority program from July 1st, 2009 to June 30, 2011.
The mission of Organic Computing is to tame complexity in technical systems by providing appropriate
degrees of freedom for self-organized behaviour adapting to changing requirements of the
execution environment, in particular with respect to human needs. According to this vision
an organic computer system should be aware of its own capabilities, the requirements of
the environment, and it should be equipped with a number of "self-x" properties allowing for
the anticipated adaptiveness and for a reduction in the complexity of system management.
These self-x properties include self-organisation, self-configuration, self-optimization,
self-healing, self-protection and self-explanation.
To achieve these ambitious goals new
methods, new techniques, and new system architectures have to be developed. Their potential
and relevance should be demonstrated with respect to demanding application scenarios.
The major objectives of this priority program are grouped into the following topical areas:
Controlled self-organisation in technical systems
Insights about the behaviour of natural and artificial complex
systems shall be used to open up the necessary degrees of freedom for self-organized
behaviour of technical systems. This requires projects on the theory of complex technical
systems, investigating the possibilities to establish goal-oriented emergent processes
and, in particular, looking at the problems of security and stability of self-organized
technical systems. Methods are needed that allow for self-organized behaviour while
directing a system towards desired emergent behaviour, and to detect and prevent undesirable
behavioural effects.
Technologies for Organic Computing New base technologies are
needed to support the technical utilisation of the principles of self-organisation in the
implementation of organic computer systems. Complete organic computer systems will need
adequate (multi-level) system architectures. Therefore, an essential objective is to build
up a versatile toolbox containing balanced concepts, methods, and tools for the design and
implementation of organic computer systems. Furthermore, an evaluation of the effectiveness
and efficiency of organic computer systems will require new methods and metrics for an
appropriate system analysis.
The third phase of the priority program will shift its emphasis from research on
fundamental insights into the principles of self-organisation to the design and experimental
investigation of generic concepts for architectures and tools for realizing organic computer
systems. Research proposals must clearly identify the aspects of self-organisation. The
priority program does not allow for explicit design of application systems. But it will be
indispensable to evaluate the anticipated methods and technologies of OC with respect to
relevant technical application areas. In particular, at the end of this priority program,
the major achievements of the research projects with respect to the engineering of organic
computer systems should be clearly visible.
Proposals (in English AND in compliance with the official guidelines and proposal preparation instructions of DFG
[PDF] |
[RTF]) for the third and final phase of the program must
be available quintuplicate (attachments in triplicate, everything punched, but not stapled) with the keyword "SPP 1183 - Organic Computing" in the office of the DFG by
November 21, 2008 !!! The deadline has been extended to December 5, 2008 !!!.
An additional copy of the proposal in PDF-format must be sent by email to the coordinator of the project,
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schmeck. The cover sheet (Template:
[PDF]
| [DOC])
has to be sent by email to
in PDF-format.
Questions about Organic Computing are answered by the coordinator of the SPP:
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schmeck
Institut AIFB Universität Karlsruhe (TH) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) email:
phone: +49 (721) 608 42 42.
For questions on setting up the proposal please contact:
Dr.
Valentina Damerow email:
phone: +49 (228) 885 24 99.
Additional Information:
Call for Proposals of SPP 1183 "Organic Computing" Phase 3 (2009-2011) on the DFG Website
[German][English]
The Cover Sheet Template for Project Proposals:
[PDF][DOC]
Official Guidelines and Proposal Preparation Instructions with Supplementary Instructions from DFG:
[PDF][RTF]
