Evidence-based software engineering (EBSE) aims to improve research utilization in practice. It relies on systematic methods to identify, appraise, and synthesize existing research findings to answer questions of interest for practice. However, the lack of practitioners’ involvement in these studies’ design, execution, and reporting indicates a lack of appreciation for the need for knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners. The resultant systematic literature studies often lack relevance for practice. This paper explores the use of Rapid Reviews (RRs), in fostering knowledge exchange between academia and industry. Through the lens of two case studies, we delve into the practical application and experience of conducting RRs. We analyzed the conduct of two rapid reviews by two different groups of researchers and practitioners. We collected data through interviews, and the documents produced during the review (like review protocols, search results, and presentations). The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. We report how the two groups of researchers and practitioners performed the rapid reviews. We observed some benefits, like promoting dialogue and paving the way for future collaborations. We also found that practitioners entrusted the researchers to develop and follow a rigorous approach and were more interested in the applicability of the findings in their context. The problems investigated in these two cases were relevant but not the most immediate ones. Therefore, rapidness was not a priority for the practitioners. The study illustrates that rapid reviews can support researcher-practitioner communication and industry-academia collaboration. Furthermore, the recommendations based on the experiences from the two cases complement the detailed guidelines researchers and practitioners may follow to increase interaction and knowledge exchange.

There is a growing interest in industry and academia in machine learning (ML) testing. We believe that industry and academia need to learn together to produce rigorous and relevant knowledge. In this study, we initiate a collaboration between stakeholders from one case company, one research institute, and one university. To establish a common view of the problem domain, we applied an interactive rapid review of the state of the art. Four researchers from Lund University and RISE Research Institutes and four practitioners from Axis Communications reviewed a set of 180 primary studies on ML testing. We developed a taxonomy for the communication around ML testing challenges and results and identified a list of 12 review questions relevant for Axis Communications. The three most important questions (data testing, metrics for assessment, and test generation) were mapped to the literature, and an in-depth analysis of the 35 primary studies matching the most important question (data testing) was made. A final set of the five best matches were analysed and we reflect on the criteria for applicability and relevance for the industry. The taxonomies are helpful for communication but not final. Furthermore, there was no perfect match to the case company's investigated review question (data testing). However, we extracted relevant approaches from the five studies on a conceptual level to support later context-specific improvements. We found the interactive rapid review approach useful for triggering and aligning communication between the different stakeholders.

Abstract Empirical software engineering research relies on good communication with industrial partners. Conducting joint research both requires and contributes to bridging the communication gap between industry and academia (IA) in software engineering. This study aims to explore communication between the two parties in such a setting. To better understand what facilitates good IA communication and what project outcomes such communication promotes, we performed a case study, in the context of a long‐term IA joint project, followed by a validating survey among practitioners and researchers with experience of working in similar settings. We identified five facilitators of IA communication and nine project outcomes related to this communication. The facilitators concern the relevance of the research, practitioners' attitude and involvement in research, frequency of communication and longevity of the collaboration. The project outcomes promoted by this communication include, for researchers, changes in teaching and new scientific venues, and for practitioners, increased awareness, changes to practice, and new tools and source code. Besides, both parties gain new knowledge and develop social‐networks through IA communication. Our study presents empirically based insights that can provide advise on how to improve communication in IA research projects and thus the co‐creation of software engineering knowledge that is anchored in both practice and research.

Background: Despite the mutual benefit of the industry-academia partnership, the level of joint work is still low. For this reason, the interest in connecting research and practice has increased recently in the academic community. Objective: This research aims to design and apply approaches to improve the knowledge exchange between academic researchers and software engineering practitioners. Methodology: This work can be seen from a design science perspective. Following the design-science paradigm, the knowledge regarding a phenomenon is obtained through the design and evaluation of solutions that apply in a specific context. Consequently, this research work proposes and evaluates approaches to bridge the communication gap. Results: Two approaches have been explored and partially evaluated. The SERP-taxonomy architecture that can be used to describe and link research results and industry challenges, and rapid reviews to foster communication between industry and academia. Conclusion: This thesis will provide empirical evidence of the application of collaborative approaches to improve industry-academia communication and get closer research and practice.

Background: In software engineering, industryacademia is a symbiotic relationship. Researchers need to be aware of the industry to produce relevant research, while practitioners are educated in academia and could take advantage of empirical research. The SERP taxonomy architecture is designed to support communication between practitioners and researchers in software engineering. Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze to what extent the SERP taxonomy architecture is useful for improving communication between researchers and practitioners in IoT vulnerability management. Method: We developed a SERP taxonomy for IoT vulnerability management, SERP-MENTION, in an incremental way. Along the development, we evaluated the developed taxonomy in a project of industry academia collaboration. Results: In addition to the taxonomy itself we elaborate on the taxonomy development process and the potential of SERP-MENTION to support communication between researchers and practitioners within the area. Conclusion: The SERP architecture can be used in a new field, it is perceived as useful by potential users to better describe and communicate research outputs and practical challenges in software vulnerability management.