Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Applied Research

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Applied Research Program Element (PE 0602751D8Z) is managed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and supports applied research in software engineering and cybersecurity. Its primary goal is to develop and evaluate advanced software and computer science concepts that can improve future Department of Defense (DoD) systems. The program leverages the expertise of the SEI, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) at Carnegie Mellon University, to provide technical leadership and innovation in software engineering, acquisition, network security, and process management. The program's research directly supports DoD priorities in autonomous systems, artificial intelligence (AI), cyber operations, and resilient engineered systems.

Project 278: SEI Applied Research focuses on two main research thrusts: Software Engineering, Systems Verification and Validation, and Mission Assurance; and Information Assurance. The first thrust aims to address the increasing complexity of AI-enabled systems by developing sophisticated verification and validation mechanisms. This includes research into requirements identification, virtual integration of system components, and automated repair of damaged code. The objective is to improve the accuracy of behavior prediction for complex software, especially AI-enabled systems, in untested environments.

Planned activities for FY 2025 and FY 2026 include innovating new methods for AI-generated software, hybridizing AI models, and leveraging commercial and open-source approaches for integrated verification and validation.

The second thrust under Project 278 is designed to ensure that DoD software is free from vulnerabilities, particularly those that may arise from unknown or compromised supply chains. The goal is to develop scalable automated methods to locate, understand, and mitigate software vulnerabilities. This includes automated solutions for vulnerability discovery in source code, generation of proofs of correctness or fault, and modeling operational environments for cyber tactics and procedures testing.

FY 2025 and FY 2026 plans focus on safeguarding training data for automated code generation and vulnerability analysis, with the aim of reducing overall risk of errors and security vulnerabilities in software.

Project 817: Cyber Security, Applied Research is a distinct budget line within the SEI Applied Research PE, with a specific focus on cybersecurity challenges in warfighting environments that operate at sub-second timescales and across multiple domains. The objective is to develop and increase the use of automation to simplify tasks such as malware analysis, reverse engineering of code artifacts, and enterprise-scale network flow analysis. The project also seeks to assess the operating boundaries for AI and machine learning algorithms and to develop workforce skills relevant to cybersecurity.

FY 2025 and FY 2026 activities include developing hybridized AI methods for code vulnerability analysis and enabling methodologies to identify and remove inherent vulnerabilities during automated code generation.

The SEI Applied Research PE is justified by the DoD's need to maintain leadership in software-based system development, operation, and defense, especially as global parity in software engineering increases. The program supports the Department's initiative to build sustainable and long-term advantage by enabling resilient mission assurance in heterogeneous and contested environments. It also facilitates the rapid transition of software engineering technologies into practice and evaluates emerging technologies for their potential to improve DoD systems.

The research conducted under this PE is foundational and intended to address longer-term challenges in software technology and engineering.

Budget adjustments for FY 2026 reflect reductions due to economic assumptions and FFRDC funding changes, resulting in a decrease in available funds for some research activities. Despite these adjustments, the program continues to prioritize the development of methods and tools for software assurance, augmentation of machine learning, and enhancement of cybersecurity automation.

The SEI Applied Research PE also strengthens collaborations between the SEI FFRDC and academia, attracts top researchers, and provides the DoD with access to leading experts in information science.