A system for collaboratively developing industrial applications, comprising: a memory that stores executable components; and a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising: a user interface component configured to render integrated development environment interfaces on respective client devices and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automation control project; a project generation component configured to generate system project data based on the industrial design input; and a collaboration management component configured to broker between multiple sets of the industrial design input submitted via different client devices of the client devices for inclusion in the system project data, wherein the multiple sets of the industrial design data comprise alternate versions of design data directed to a same aspect of the industrial automation control project, characterised in that the collaboration management component is further configured to select one of the alternate versions of the design data for inclusion in the system project data based on a comparison of the alternate versions relative to a defined selection criterion, and to select the one of the alternate versions of the design data based on results of respective simulations performed on the alternate versions of the design data, and the project generation component is further configured to integrate the one of the alternate versions of the design data into the system project data. a memory that stores executable components; and a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the executable components, the executable components comprising: a user interface component configured to render integrated development environment interfaces on respective client devices and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automation control project; a project generation component configured to generate system project data based on the industrial design input; and a collaboration management component configured to broker between multiple sets of the industrial design input submitted via different client devices of the client devices for inclusion in the system project data, wherein the multiple sets of the industrial design data comprise alternate versions of design data directed to a same aspect of the industrial automation control project, characterised in that the collaboration management component is further configured to select one of the alternate versions of the design data for inclusion in the system project data based on a comparison of the alternate versions relative to a defined selection criterion, and to select the one of the alternate versions of the design data based on results of respective simulations performed on the alternate versions of the design data, and the project generation component is further configured to integrate the one of the alternate versions of the design data into the system project data. a user interface component configured to render integrated development environment interfaces on respective client devices and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automation control project; a project generation component configured to generate system project data based on the industrial design input; and a collaboration management component configured to broker between multiple sets of the industrial design input submitted via different client devices of the client devices for inclusion in the system project data, wherein the multiple sets of the industrial design data comprise alternate versions of design data directed to a same aspect of the industrial automation control project, characterised in that the collaboration management component is further configured to select one of the alternate versions of the design data for inclusion in the system project data based on a comparison of the alternate versions relative to a defined selection criterion, and to select the one of the alternate versions of the design data based on results of respective simulations performed on the alternate versions of the design data, and the project generation component is further configured to integrate the one of the alternate versions of the design data into the system project data.