Keynotes 2025

Sandy Friedenthal (SAF Consulting)

Sandy Friedenthal (SAF Consulting)

Co-Chair of the OMG Systems Modelling Community (SMC)

Advancing an MBSE Method with SysML v2

SysML v2 is the next generation systems modeling language that is intended to support the evolving practices of MBSE to deal with increasing system complexity and the need to more rapidly respond to change. SysML v2 significantly enhances precision, expressiveness, consistency, usability, interoperability, and extensibility, compared with SysML v1. It offers both textual and graphical representations that enhance system understanding. It provides a standard API with a set of services to help navigate, query, and update the model and enable interoperability across tools and models throughout the system lifecycle.

The object-oriented systems engineering method (OOSEM) leverages SysML v1 as a modeling language to provide an MBSE method to specify, architect, analyze, and verify systems. OOSEM applies a scenario-driven decomposition approach coupled with the principle of separation of concerns to develop the system model.  Adaptations of OOSEM have been applied to many projects such as the Thirty Meter Telescope (reference SEBoK Implementation Example). The method is currently being updated through a collaboration between the OMG Systems Modeling Community (SMC) and the INCOSE OOSEM Working Group to leverage the precision, expressiveness, and regularity of SysML v2. 

This presentation provides an overview of how SysML v2 is being leveraged to enhance OOSEM. In particular, SysML v2 provides very regular and precise decomposition and specialization patterns that apply to modeling requirements, structure, behavior, analysis, and verification. It provides the ability to readily adapt reusable elements to their context, and it provides the ability to specialize behavior which was very difficult in SysML v1. It also provides additional expressiveness such as variant modeling, analysis cases, and many other language constructs. These language enhancements result in more efficient modeling that lends itself to automation and improved traceability across the system model.

Dr. Annika Meijer-Henriksson (Saab)

Dr. Annika Meijer-Henriksson (Saab)

Head of Design Gripen / Technical Manager Gripen

Complex development of military aircraft – Experiences and the value of MBSE

In this talk, Annika Meijer-Henriksson, Head of Design Gripen, shares her experiences from 25 years in the development of military aircraft with a focus on the challenges and opportunities that complex development entails. The talk highlights why Model-Based-System Engineering (MBSE) is an effective method for managing complexity in the development process. Through examples and insights, it is shown how MBSE has contributed to improved system integration, clearer communication and faster decision-making in critical projects. At the same time, pitfalls that arise when implementing MBSE are highlighted, such as insufficient training, lack of tool adaptation and difficulties in getting the entire organization to fully adopt new methodology.

With a balance between positive experiences and challenges, the talk provides a realistic picture of how MBSE can be usedto drive innovation and efficiency in the development of future military aircraft.

Robert Karban (Planetary Utilities Corporation)

Robert Karban (Planetary Utilities Corporation)

Chief Technology Officer

Integrated Systems Design for the Industrial Space Age

The design and operation of modern spacecraft are becoming increasingly complex, requiring new approaches to manage their lifecycle effectively. Starforge, a mission development architecture, addresses these challenges by integrating SysMLv2, Rule-Based design methods, and an API-first design to support the creation of flexible, software-defined spacecraft. By leveraging a mission design language, Starforge enables engineers to design, simulate, and evolve mission architectures while maintaining consistency and traceability across engineering disciplines.

The Starforge architecture decouples mission design from specific engineering tools, allowing teams to focus on solving mission-critical challenges. The architecture supports the refinement of mission fidelity through evolving models, bridging early conceptual designs with detailed simulations. Its approach ensures that design and operational decisions remain grounded in a unified framework, enhancing collaboration and adaptability throughout the spacecraft’s lifecycle.

Dr. Chantal Sinnwell (Siemens Digital Industries Software)

Dr. Chantal Sinnwell (Siemens Digital Industries Software)

Head of Cross-Portfolio Solutions & Systems Engineering Domain Lead DACH

Untying the Gordian Knot: How to implement MBSE successfully

Systems engineering as a transdisciplinary approach to the development of technical systems has become indispensable in industries such as e.g. aerospace and defense. At the same time, it can be observed that its model-based evolutionary stage called MBSE regularly fails in introductory projects, its adoption by employees is weak or MBSE only establishes itself as a niche topic.

The Systems Thinking, on which systems engineering is based, is a core competence in companies which, in the context of the current industrial challenges, every employee should basically master, but all too rarely does today. For many companies today, however, rolling out MBSE across an entire company and thereby leveraging its extensive added value seems like a Gordian Knot.

This keynote highlights an approach to successfully implement MBSE as one of the key business capabilities of Digital Enterprises and at the same time illustrates how to establish System Thinking as a core competence across the workforce. It will start by highlighting common mistakes made in MBSE implementation initiatives. A five-dimensional view on the realization of business capabilities is introduced and exemplified using the MBSE business capability. This illustrates how MBSE can be successfully introduced, established and practiced in companies. The presentation concludes with a look at the interfaces between MBSE and related methods and core technologies as well as an outlook on how further added value could be achieved in their interaction in the future.

Tobias Franz (DLR - German Aerospace Centre)

Tobias Franz (DLR - German Aerospace Centre)

Business Development | Modelling and Simulation

Advancing Multidisciplinary Space System Design: From Tool-Centric to Data-Driven Approaches

Modern space system design increasingly relies on model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to facilitate cross-domain collaboration through unified system models. However, the global shift to service-based, distributed cloud ecosystems is driving a transition from tool-centric workflows to decentralized, data-driven methodologies. This evolution amplifies the need for robust interoperability and challenges the traditional concept of a centralized “single source of truth”. This talk will delve into the role of model-based methodologies in the evolving landscape of space system design, examining pressing challenges such as the integration of distributed service frameworks, maintaining coherence across interconnected platforms, and addressing emerging priorities such as sustainability, cybersecurity, and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

Breakout Sessions

Dr. Michael Jastram

Dr. Michael Jastram

GM & Principal Systems Engineer

Is MBSE stuck in a niche? How AI could drive adoption!

Michael is passionate about complex product development. Beginning his career in software development, he quickly transitioned to software and systems architecture, recognizing modeling as essential for managing complexity. As the founder of Formal Mind, he helps clients navigate the challenges of digital transformation. Long before the GenAI hype, he was applying AI to product development. He also authors the long-running SE-Trends newsletter, now in its tenth year.

René Honcak

René Honcak

ZF Group

MBSE & Digital Twin: From Model to Reality End-to-End

The automotive industry is embracing virtual validation to address the challenge of reducing development times while managing new technologies. Virtual validation uses digital models, or “digital twins,” to simulate and test systems and components—like engines and electronics—before physical prototypes are built, cutting both costs and time. This method demands extensive data and technical expertise to create accurate simulations and requires interdisciplinary collaboration across mechanics, electronics, and software. Current challenges include the lack of standardized procedures for efficient and reproducible digital twins build up & operation. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) & DevOps supports virtual validation by linking requirements to simulation, enhancing traceability and alignment with real product development. The virtual validation of powertrain components represents a key technology to meet the increasing demands of modern automotive development, offering a clear advantage through faster market readiness, lower costs, and improved product quality.

Vince Molnár

Vince Molnár

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

SysML v2 Is Here – What Now?

Vince is an associate professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and an active member of the Object Management Group (OMG), where he contributed to the development of the KerML and SysML v2 specifications. He leads the Formal Methods and Conformance Working Groups within OMG’s Systems Modeling Community and also contributes to the Semantics and Execution Working Groups. He is working to unlock the true potential of MBSE for every systems engineer, transforming precise modeling from a necessary burden into a powerful enabler of cutting-edge technologies and greater productivity.

Now that SysML v2 has arrived, what should we do next? Vince invites you to join a conversation on how this new language can bring us closer to a more intuitive and impactful modeling experience. Share your expectations, your experiences, or simply your excitement – and help shape the path forward for SysML and the broader MBSE community.

Michael Riegler

Michael Riegler

ENGEL

MBSE & Cyber Security

Michael is the Head of Product Security at ENGEL Austria, a leading global manufacturer of injection moulding machines. He previously contributed to the LIT Secure and Correct Systems Lab at Johannes Kepler University Linz and the University of Arizona, where he specialized in securing medical devices, including pacemakers, insulin pumps, and surgical robots, as well as industrial machines and edge devices. Michael’s expertise lies in developing methods and tools to prevent, detect, and defend against cyber attacks, even on compromised systems.

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