Hungary: Simulating systemic success – a cyber-physical journey

Cyber-physical systems, such as those integrated in autonomous vehicles, medical devices and smart energy grids, combine software with physical processes, using sensors and actuators to monitor and control operations. Modern industries face growing complexity in designing and maintaining these systems. IncQuery Labs, a Hungarian company specialising in cutting-edge digital engineering solutions, has embraced this challenge.

IncQuery Labs embarked on the Eureka project EMBrACE, supported by Eureka’s Cluster ITEA. The project included industry leaders, small- and medium-sized enterprises, research institutes and universities in Hungary, Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, blending industrial insight with academic depth. During EMBrACE, the project team delivered a comprehensive engineering framework tailored for designing large-scale cyber-physical and internet of things systems.

The EMBrACE project proved that a small team of Hungarian innovators can be thought leaders in their field in Europe. Eureka’s support was crucial in turning our vision into a sustainable, internationally recognised success.

Geza Kulcsar – Senior Researcher at IncQuery Labs

One of the major project outputs was a new modelling standard that enables early-stage analysis, simulation and validation of holistic cyber-physical systems across diverse domains. This comprehensive methodology spans the entire lifecycle of complex cyber-physical and internet of things systems, supported by advanced tooling for architecture and variant management and contract-based design. The innovation empowers stakeholders to align requirements with real-world constraints, reducing costly late-stage changes and fostering cross-domain collaboration.

Beyond the framework, EMBrACE’s success lay in its partnerships. A vibrant community emerged which, despite its diverse professional and geographical backgrounds, united as a strong and cohesive team. Today, this network continues to submit and execute successful and impactful projects together. The two geographical poles of EMBrACE, stretching from Sweden to Hungary, turned workshop lunches into a hailstorm of weather jokes.

IncQuery Labs has advanced through several ITEA projects: OpenCPS, EMBrACE and now OpenSCALING. This trajectory showcases how a one-of-a-kind Hungarian team with exceptional systems engineering expertise has come to fruition.

The EMBrACE project benefited from Eureka and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI) in Hungary, which provided support in securing funding, building strategic international partnerships and gaining visibility across Europe. ITEA was instrumental in validating the project’s excellence, enabling its continuation, embracing specialised fields of expertise and channelling achievements into innovation ecosystems rooted in European values of open collaboration.

EMBrACE has advanced a future-proof software architecture that enables seamless integration and evolution of complex systems, empowered by cutting-edge open standards. The ability to design, analyse and validate complex systems from early stages is improving cross-domain collaboration and reducing late-stage development risks. More than this, the project has laid the foundation for continued innovation through follow-up initiatives and strengthened Hungary’s role in international systems engineering research.