Together, yet apart - the research prototype architecture dilemma

Distributed research projects combine the know-how of industry and research partners from different organizations and countries. In IT, joint software development of research prototypes is an integral part of such projects. However, project partners have individual interests in the developments, ranging from creating new projects to finishing a PhD thesis. This leads to a dilemma - components need to work together within the projects, but have an individual purpose apart from the projects. In this work, we investigate the impact of research project characteristics, in particular the aforementioned dilemma, on software architecture in research projects. From expert interviews, we identify unique architectural challenges inherent to research projects. In this position paper, we argue that these challenges must be considered when planning and executing research projects.