The research line is focused on the synergic study of the architectural characteristics of digital systems and their components, the application properties and the design methodologies oriented toward the concurrent development of hardware and software components. The description of the research line has been subdivided into two main research themes, in order to better highlight the specific characteristics of the research groups: 1. Embedded systems design and design methodologies. The group addresses innovation in the Electronic Design Automation field, studying models, methodologies, tools and architectures for embedded systems and their applications. 2. Dependable systems: performance, security and reliability. The group focuses its attention on models, methods and tools addressing dependability issues.