Autonomous systems offer humankind tremendous opportunities, like freeing us from mundane tasks, carrying out risky procedures and generally giving us more time to enjoy the things we like doing. However, we lack trust in many forms of autonomous systems: partly this is human nature, but primarily because these systems, such as self-driving cars, have not demonstrated their safety credentials. Only by making these systems safer can we expect their widespread acceptance. The Safer Autonomous Systems (SAS) ETN is about getting people to trust these systems by making the systems safer. In order to achieve this objective and to train a group of highly skilled, responsible, future innovators, we will bring together 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) to investigate new forms of system-safety engineering, dependability engineering, fault-tolerant and failsafe hardware/software design, model-based safety analysis, safety-assurance case development, cyber-security, as well as legal and ethical aspects. SAS will actively research the development of safer autonomous systems at multi-nationals like Bosch, but it also wants to stimulate the development of new safety designs, modelling and assurance techniques by involving the ESRs in SMEs and, potentially, their own start-ups. To help the ESRs put what they have learned during their research and S/T training into practise in their future careers, they will also receive soft-skills training to help them communicate effectively at all levels and become sought-after recruits. SAS is closely aligned with the high-priority areas of the EU, addressing many Horizon 2020 thematics, e.g., Industrial Leadership (Advanced manufacturing and processing), Societal Challenges (Smart, green and integrated transport; Secure, clean and efficient energy) and Excellent Science. But the most important output of SAS will be 15 well qualified people who have been trained to tackle many of the problems now being faced by European industry.

Sophisticated electronic technologies are increasingly used in mission- and safety-critical systems where electromagnetic interference (EMI) can result in substantial risks to people and the environment. Currently, EMI engineering follows a rule-based approach, which is unable to cope with complex modern situations. With this rules-based approach, during the design stage, guidelines are prescribed, which result in the application of a set of mitigation techniques, which are verified in the finished product against standards. This rule-based approach is costly, but with no guarantee of the required performance. This is particularly so for sensitive medical applications or the full-autonomous systems that are becoming ever-more common in our society. What we need is a risk-based approach, which is what PETER, the Pan-European Training, Research & Education Network on Electromagnetic Risk Management, will provide. PETER will train 15 young engineers in topics related to the development of high-tech systems that maintain reliability and safety over their full life-cycle, despite complex EMI, such as in hospitals or transport systems. This will be achieved using best practices and state-of-the-art EM engineering, reliability engineering, functional safety, risk management and system engineering, to create the risk-based EMC approach. The multidisciplinary, multinational doctoral training program will provide the researchers with experience and allow them to develop and in time lead their own area of research. PETER is closely aligned with the high-priority areas of the EU, addressing many Horizon 2020 thematics, e.g., Industrial Leadership (Advanced manufacturing and processing), Societal Challenges (Smart, green and integrated transport; Secure, clean and efficient energy) and Excellent Science. But the most important output of PETER will be 15 highly qualified people who have been trained to tackle many of the problems now being faced by European industry.