Over the past few decades, there has been an exponential increase in the rise of computing technology. From the ‘60s, where computers were predominantly used by large scale businesses, to today where mobile phones have more computing power than the room-sized machines of the ‘60s. Today, we have smart devices with computer chips in an ever-increasing range of appliances – cars, refrigerators, trains, washing machines and many, many more. Even our books, in the form of tablets, are now electronic. 
Consequently, software and hardware engineering are growing fields with a growing range of uses and applications in many aspects of daily life. While they are very distinct and different fields, they can share a great deal of overlap in the applications, and this Gateway aims to foster communication and positive working relationships across these fields. 

Hardware engineering is a multi-disciplinary area at the intersection of electronics, sensors, product engineering, manufacturing, material science, communications, and design. It is involved with improving the physical aspects of computer technology, such as developing new, more efficient circuit boards, processors, networks, routers, and memory devices. Hardware engineering includes scientists, researchers and industry professionals working across all these fields to improve computer speeds, increase their memory and ensure faster networking between devices. It also includes cutting edge developments such as quantum computing.

Software engineering involves the application of engineering principles to the development of software, either through new systems or the maintenance of existing code, for use in computer processing. It requires learning one or more programming languages and developing sets of instructions for computers to use when completing tasks, either with or without human input, as well as requiring an understanding of engineering and computer processes. It heavily involves software configuration management, includes app development for smart phone devices and similar, the updating or development of computer operating systems, webpage implementation and design and many more.  
These fast-growing, forward-thinking areas of research greatly benefit from F1000Research’s open and cross-disciplinary approach across academia, industry and policy. This Gateway will ensure that the data, methods, applications and knowledge generated through software and hardware engineering research are open and available, which will be necessary to keep pace with the rapid developments in these pervasive and crucial areas.   

The Software and Hardware Engineering Gateway provides researchers and policymakers with a dedicated publishing venue to openly disseminate research focused on the development and applications of all aspects of computer engineering technology.