The MATISSE project is developing industrial strength methodologies and associated technologies for the engineering of software-based critical systems. These methodologies and technologies will support industry in providing essential services for the information society of the Third Millennium that are highly dependable. The work programme is based on three major industrial case studies representing a spectrum of the essential services for the information society :- an embedded verifier for a smartcard system; a railway signalling and control system and a diagnostic system for healthcare clinicians and researchers. MATISSE will provide :- guidelines that allow formal methods to be integrated into existing systems engineering lifecycles so that higher degrees of safety and reliability can be achieved; methodologies that expand the range of application of these formal methods and enhancements to technologies associated with these formal methods.