The National Centre of Competence in Research «Dependable ubiquitous automation», NCCR Automation for short, investigates new approaches to the control of complex automated systems and implements them in concrete applications in practice. Through networked research, the development of new technologies and education, the NCCR aims to strengthen Switzerland's leading role in automation and control technology. The NCCR Automation is led by ETH Zurich; the research network comprises institutes from EPF Lausanne, Empa and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). The interdisciplinary research network is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).