Surveys on the Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) adoption agree that resources such as model transformations need customisation before introduction in a target context. This research topic highlights an emerging scenario for reuse named ‘MDE as a Service’ (MDEaaS), i.e. a business opportunity characterised by blockhains that implement requests from application-independent contexts for customisations in MDE resources. In response for the increasing interest of some professionals in this opportunity and due to the absence of studies establishing reuse foundations for this scenario, it is presented here the authors’ background in the Feature-Oriented Model-Driven Architecture (FOMDA) approach: an implementation of MDEaaS assisted by an integrated reuse mechanism to test, compose, check the consistency, and adapt these resources. The following sub-topics are investigated under an umbrella of foundations for MDEaaS: Software Product Lines (SPL), Component-Based Development (CBD), Model Transformation Chain (MTC), Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP), Reuse Mechanisms (Adaptive, Runtime and Generative).

Since 2000, many DSLs supporting specific tasks in Software Engineering have been proposed and shared freely by the research community in MDE Ecosystems. Repositories from these ecosystems are diverse as so the shared DSLs. Therefore, integration between heterogeneous representations is needed. Our goal in this research project is the increment of a pivotal representation language (the RAS++) that allows a connection between our toolboxes with repositories that promote collaboration, such as the globalization of DSLs through GEMOC and globalization of methods through the SEMAT and globalization of tools for software engineering on clouds through the OSLC.

Model-based testing (MBT) is an approach to derive test artefacts from system models. MBT is based on the idea of the automation of test activities, e.g. test case/script generation. This help to reduce the cost of software testing, since this cost is related to the effort and time for test cases design, test artefacts (e.g. drivers and scripts), construction and the number of interactions performed by each script during the test execution. As the testing phase costs between 30% and 60% of software development effort, MBT is a valuable approach to mitigate these problems. Furthermore, the MBT adoption can bring several other advantages to the test team such as early identification of ambiguities in the model specification, enhanced communication among developers and testers and easiness to update the test cases/scripts when the requirements are changed. However, the MBT technique requires specific activities that are beyond the usual activities of software testing. Moreover, MBT adoption requires that test engineers adjust their testing process and invest in the testing teams training and use of new tools, methods and techniques.MDE as a Service is characterized by software engineering services associated with MD*, such as introduce adaptation in software process specifications, or introduce DSLs for systems engineering in target companies. This research project aims at investigate how we can conduct more credible feasibility studies for all the methodological and technical results from previous research topics. Thus, we are interested in quality attributes that makes tool support associated with this initiative interesting for technology transfer.