Software-based systems have a central role in industrial production, in ensuring the reliability of transport systems, in automatic information processing, and for providing services.  The correct functionality, efficiency, and security of software is crucial.  Each of these aspects might make the difference between financial success and failure, sometimes even between life and death.  The timely availability of suitable software is a critical success factor for companies and for entire economies. Moreover, it is a prerequisite for making modern societies function. Paradigm shifts in industrial production (Industry 4.0) and in automatic processing of information (Big Data) can only be realized if they are supported by
 suitable software systems. The LOEWE research cluster Software-Factory 4.0 uses a complementary approach to developing the needed software from scratch. The goal is to enable a more timely availability of suitable software by selectively adapting existing software systems to new requirements.