Software engineering is the invisible infrastructure of the digital age. Every breakthrough in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, photonics, and cybersecurity relies on advances in software engineering, yet the field is too often treated as a supportive digital component rather than as a strategic, enabling discipline. In policy frameworks, including major European programmes, software appears primarily as a building block within other technologies, while the scientific discipline of software engineering remains largely absent. This position paper argues that the long-term sustainability, dependability, and sovereignty of digital technologies depend on investment in software engineering research. It is a call to reclaim the identity of software engineering.

翻译：软件工程是数字时代无形的基础设施。人工智能、量子计算、光子学和网络安全领域的每一项突破都依赖于软件工程的进步，然而该领域常常被视为一种支持性的数字组件，而非一门战略性的使能学科。在包括欧洲主要计划在内的政策框架中，软件主要作为其他技术中的构建模块出现，而软件工程这一科学学科在很大程度上仍然缺席。本立场文件认为，数字技术的长期可持续性、可靠性和自主性取决于对软件工程研究的投入。这是一次重振软件工程学科身份的呼吁。