"The CRITICAL STEP aims to establish the basis for a long term strategic research collaboration between partners in the growing and challenging domain of software for large-scale Safety-Critical Systems (SCSs) based on the use of Off-The-Shelf (OTS) software components for the control of complex distributed infrastructures (e.g. systems for Air Traffic Management, Process Control in Chemical and Nuclear factories, Network Control in the Oil and Gas Industry). The global demand for such systems is high and it is expected to increase in the next years. The actual trend is to use middleware platforms with modular OTS components as a way to: 1) master the complexity in software design by creating, developing a managing an information control system and interconnection between federated systems; 2) reduce development and maintenance time and cost; 3) improve efficiency. Due to the critical nature of the infrastructures to be controlled, these goals must be achieved while assuring quantifiable requirements for safety and security. The CRITICAL STEP project proposes a Transfer of Knowledge (ToK) programme between Industry and Academy through secondments of their internal staff and integration of new recruited staff. The Tok objectives regard 3 main research topics: 1) qualitative evaluation of OTS software for SCS applications; 2) quantitative evaluation of dependability and robustness of OTS based SCSs; 3) R&D of techniques for on-line fault diagnosis. The partners involved in this project feel they are in need of sharing and combining their knowledge and use the existing synergies/complementarities to set long term strategic bases to deal with the complexity of the next generation SCSs, resist market competition and win the challenge of developing new safe technologies and standards. The involved researchers will share their expertise, absorb knowledge, develop original competences and integrate their new acquired know-how back to their home companies."