As the level of automation and system complexity in factories and plants increases steadily, system engineering becomes more difficult and less productive. The MEDEIA project's objective is a radical improvement in productivity for the development of embedded control systems within the European industrial automation sector. In summary, MEDEIA will produce a pioneering methodology and a prototypical design and engineering framework for embedded system design based on concept of hierarchical-modular model based design, which will enable the European industrial automation industry to reduce its system design time and its costs for the development of complex control systems. A prototypical design tool has been developed and offered as an open source solution.