As the field of software engineering has matured, a number of important trends have emerged. Renaat Verbruggen's research has focused on three of the areas which, to him and his colleagues, show most promise. These are the object-oriented construction of systems, the links between formal and informal methods in their approaches to software design, and the higher-level process management issues especially as they relate to metrication, measurement and test.

Mr. Verbruggen's current research is focused on testing and metrics approaches within the world of patterns and objects. He often interacts with companies who are working with significant amounts of software development, and he has been engaged in numerous "Action-Research" projects. These involve companies with real problems who seek to benefit from engaging in broader research rather than rushing to a "quick-fix".

At present, Mr. Verbruggen is working on software architecture models to help with the handling of legacy systems. Further research is aimed at creating improved software test processes that take full life-cycle development into account. Both of these projects involve external companies who will apply the research within their own areas. On the testing side, the work is spread across both financial and embedded environments in an attempt to develop a robust testing architecture.