Over the last decades, the complexity of systems we study and design (in particular, Cyber-Physical Systems) has grown exponentially. To manage this complexity, industry and academia now explicitly model different aspects of the structure and behaviour of systems, at the most appropriate level(s) of abstraction, using the most appropriate modeling formalism(s).

Dedicated modeling formalisms, also known as Domain Specific Languages, are used increasingly to maximally constrain the modeler to the problem at hand, reducing the cognitive gap and enabling optimal, domain specific, model manipulations such as application synthesis. In particular for product families, using generative (transformation) techniques, numerous success stories are reported in industry.

Model Based Systems Engineering in general, and Domain Specific Modeling in particular have proven useful in a wide range of application domains: Interactive Systems, Real-Time Systems, Web 2.0 design, Business Architecture, Modern Computer Games, Industrial Automation, Hardware and Software Co-design, Mechatronics, Business Process Modeling, Requirements Engineering, Process Design, Legacy Software, etc.

Hand in hand with these industrial successes, academia have been developing foundations, systematic approaches, techniques, tools, frameworks and processes to turn Model Based Systems Engineering into a true engineering discipline. This builds on existing work in language semantics, simulation, model checking, and model-based testing.

Given the plethora of scattered developments (theories, techniques and tools) in this exciting field, practitioners as well as students and researchers lack an integrated vision of the model based systems engineering domain. This includes insight into the limitations of domain-specific modeling such as limited support for version control, language evolution and debugging. This in contrast with the ample support for these features in general purpose (programming) languages.

It is exactly the integrated vision on the problems addressed and solutions offered by Domain Specific Modeling (and Modeling Language Engineering) that this Summer School aims to provide.

This eighth International Summer School on Domain Specific Modeling - Theory and Practice is aimed at researchers, teachers, practitioners, and students (typically Master's or Ph.D. level) who intend to study or work with Domain Specific Modeling. The purpose is to learn about foundations as well as best practices in a friendly and stimulating environment. There will be ample opportunities to discuss with other participants and with the lecturers. These lecturers are experienced and active professionals, leaders in their field, whose academic and industrial background covers the broad range of topics of the School.

The event will take place during five days. During the first four days, theory lectures introducing theoretical/foundational topics will be alternated with tutorials where techniques and tools will be explained hands-on. As a reference, during last year's DSM-TP edition a small common Case Study from the Traffic light Domain was used across all tutorials to make the coherence between the different topics (language design, model transformation, semantics, model checking, ...) clear. During the last day of the School, both the academic and industrial point of view on the most recent advances in the field will be presented. This will highlight current research as well as discuss challenges and open issues (with many hints for future Ph.D. topics).

• Domain modeling
• Variability and product families
• Domain-specific language (DSL) engineering, graphical and textual modeling languages
• Model transformation, rule-based, incremental
• Code generation, template-based, synthesis of software applications
• Formal verification of models, model checking
• Modeling the semantics of DSLs
• Evaluation of the usability of DSLs
• Advanced topics and industrial applications

• Modeling, Simulation, and Model Checking: Yakindu, UPPAAL, ...
• Modeling Language Design: AToMPM, Xtext, EMF/GMF, Clafer, metaDepth, Epsilon/EOL, IncQuery/VIATRA, ...
• Model Transformation: AToMPM/MoTif, ATL, Xpand, Epsilon/EGL, ...