Periodic Reporting for period 4 - EOSC Future (EOSC Future)
Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2024-03-31
Complex global challenges need global and cross-stakeholder collaboration in research. Data related to these challenges should be FAIR and available through the internet. However, a lot of preparatory work needs to be carried out before heterogenous data can be used and combined. Further, one needs the equipment (or research infrastructure) for data processing, such as storage, networks and (super)computers.
There are many research facilities and data are stored and can go back in time. But making all this ready to share is a different chapter. Before one can compare data there must be agreement about definitions and formats of data and variables. To find the data, these must be stored and registered in the right locations.
That is where the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) comes in: this system would provide researchers a trusted environment where they can develop, access, and use research data, using existing infrastructures, computers, and specialist services.
From April 2021 to March 2024, EOSC Future was the major implementation project building EOSC. Combining expertise from major European research infrastructures (computing, network, storage, data, tools) it worked on operationalizing the EOSC and built on previous EU projects that developed core parts. The architecture connected and integrated existing and new technological elements. It brought in content and tools to investigate and analyse data. This was done by a consortium of 100 partners, together with scientists and key stakeholders.
The mission of the project was to bring the different research infrastructure communities together to implement an operational EOSC Platform focusing on technology and interoperability, resources, user engagement and user experience. EOSC Future delivered three technical features of EOSC, called the Core, the Exchange and the Interoperability Framework, offering base functionalities, tools to work with the data, and protocols for connecting existing facilities to the EOSC.
There are many research facilities and data are stored and can go back in time. But making all this ready to share is a different chapter. Before one can compare data there must be agreement about definitions and formats of data and variables. To find the data, these must be stored and registered in the right locations.
That is where the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) comes in: this system would provide researchers a trusted environment where they can develop, access, and use research data, using existing infrastructures, computers, and specialist services.
From April 2021 to March 2024, EOSC Future was the major implementation project building EOSC. Combining expertise from major European research infrastructures (computing, network, storage, data, tools) it worked on operationalizing the EOSC and built on previous EU projects that developed core parts. The architecture connected and integrated existing and new technological elements. It brought in content and tools to investigate and analyse data. This was done by a consortium of 100 partners, together with scientists and key stakeholders.
The mission of the project was to bring the different research infrastructure communities together to implement an operational EOSC Platform focusing on technology and interoperability, resources, user engagement and user experience. EOSC Future delivered three technical features of EOSC, called the Core, the Exchange and the Interoperability Framework, offering base functionalities, tools to work with the data, and protocols for connecting existing facilities to the EOSC.
EOSC Future consisted of 10 work packages. Technical WPs aligned via a Technical Coordination Board and built the architecture, the platform’s supply layer (service providers), demand layer (researchers), and service management. Another WP aligned with external partners, yet others focused on the development of the EOSC Observatory, the EOSC Knowledge Hub, Commercial Procurement and the EOSC Digital Innovation Hub.
* EOSC Core services delivered include all of those required to support the operation of EOSC: as order management, identity management/AAI; helpdesks; service management, monitoring, accounting and security.
* To create the EOSC Exchange, the project developed a Marketplace with catalogues of services and resources, supported by a Knowledge Hub with EOSC training resources, by commercial services made available through a procurement-compliant framework, and by a Digital Innovation Hub convening industry and the scientific community.
EOSC Future has invested majorly to support exploitation of the results in different ways:
1) Many results form part of the EOSC EU Node (http://open-science-cloud.ec.europa.eu(opens in new window)). The project has made foreground available to the operators of the EOSC EU Node and supported the transition. In agreement with the EC, the project switched off the EOSC Catalogue and Marketplace, and redirects visitors to the EOSC EU Node, which integrates various components originally developed by EOSC Future
2) Other parts such as commercial procurement activities will be supported by GÉANT, and DIH activity will continue in EOSC Beyond (https://www.eosc-beyond.eu(opens in new window)). A registry and governance were established for the EOSC Interoperability Framework, which will be further developed in the EU Node and in EOSC Beyond and other projects. The impact of EOSC Future on communities and service providers will be continued through the OSCARS project (http://oscars-project.eu/(opens in new window)). The EOSC Observatory will be transitioned into the European Open Science Observatory, build by the EOSC Track project (Grant ID: 101148217).
3) Providing proof of the value of the project’s work are the many results of the ten cross-disciplinary Science Project collaborations which performed innovative exploitation of research data and other resources with the support of EOSC Core components. The outputs of these activities are openly licenced and available for further reuse.
4) Software of Core and Exchange services has been comprehensively documented and made available via GitHub (http://github.com/EOSC-PLATFORM/Software-Documentation(opens in new window)). EOSC Future has also invested in IP clearance and ownership documentation to enable re-use, with a strong commitment to Open Access and Open-Source licenses. The project website summarises results (see http://eoscfuture.eu/results/(opens in new window)). Community-forming aspects are recorded in reports which are available for further use by any interested parties, contributing towards further development of EOSC and its wide community.
* EOSC Core services delivered include all of those required to support the operation of EOSC: as order management, identity management/AAI; helpdesks; service management, monitoring, accounting and security.
* To create the EOSC Exchange, the project developed a Marketplace with catalogues of services and resources, supported by a Knowledge Hub with EOSC training resources, by commercial services made available through a procurement-compliant framework, and by a Digital Innovation Hub convening industry and the scientific community.
EOSC Future has invested majorly to support exploitation of the results in different ways:
1) Many results form part of the EOSC EU Node (http://open-science-cloud.ec.europa.eu(opens in new window)). The project has made foreground available to the operators of the EOSC EU Node and supported the transition. In agreement with the EC, the project switched off the EOSC Catalogue and Marketplace, and redirects visitors to the EOSC EU Node, which integrates various components originally developed by EOSC Future
2) Other parts such as commercial procurement activities will be supported by GÉANT, and DIH activity will continue in EOSC Beyond (https://www.eosc-beyond.eu(opens in new window)). A registry and governance were established for the EOSC Interoperability Framework, which will be further developed in the EU Node and in EOSC Beyond and other projects. The impact of EOSC Future on communities and service providers will be continued through the OSCARS project (http://oscars-project.eu/(opens in new window)). The EOSC Observatory will be transitioned into the European Open Science Observatory, build by the EOSC Track project (Grant ID: 101148217).
3) Providing proof of the value of the project’s work are the many results of the ten cross-disciplinary Science Project collaborations which performed innovative exploitation of research data and other resources with the support of EOSC Core components. The outputs of these activities are openly licenced and available for further reuse.
4) Software of Core and Exchange services has been comprehensively documented and made available via GitHub (http://github.com/EOSC-PLATFORM/Software-Documentation(opens in new window)). EOSC Future has also invested in IP clearance and ownership documentation to enable re-use, with a strong commitment to Open Access and Open-Source licenses. The project website summarises results (see http://eoscfuture.eu/results/(opens in new window)). Community-forming aspects are recorded in reports which are available for further use by any interested parties, contributing towards further development of EOSC and its wide community.
EOSC Future created an EOSC Federated system powered by an integrated operational environment, the EOSC Platform, to enable a common European portfolio and marketplace of resources (datasets, services, other research products) by connecting resources from community platforms.
The development of the EOSC Platform enhanced and integrated a variety of technical features such as the Federated EOSC Resource Catalogue, the Marketplace, the AAI, Interoperability Framework, etc. along with launching the EOSC Observatory, the EOSC Knowledge Hub and other intelligence tools, hubs and methodologies for monitoring and training different actors to engage in Open Science.
EOSC Future advanced EOSC through
• Definition of an EOSC Federated System including a common way to describe data and services (the EOSC Profiles) and operational inclusion criteria onboard/register resources in EOSC.
• Development of technical components and services (EOSC Core and Exchange, Interoperability Framework registry and guidelines)
With the EOSC Marketplace, a multi-disciplinary hub was set up, connecting users to 5+ million resources, tools and services, thousands of datasets from a wide scale of research domains from renowned European service providers, supported by a recommender system. Throughout the project, some 330 service providers offered over 470 services via the marketplace. Thirty training materials (catalogues and learning modules) were also added to the marketplace.
The EOSC Interoperability Framework comprises of policies and guidelines, proposed for and by the various research communities, that enable interoperability of resources and services in the EOSC ecosystem. The EOSC IF registry collected onboarding guidelines to ensure research outputs can be made interoperable with other resources and across domains. Throughout the EOSC Future project, over 23 interoperability guidelines were added to the registry.
A truly Open and FAIR European data space for science, research and innovation could not exist without a robust engaged community. EOSC Future advanced the collaboration between communities on the joint goal to establish EOSC and created long-lasting networks that will be active in future actions.
The development of the EOSC Platform enhanced and integrated a variety of technical features such as the Federated EOSC Resource Catalogue, the Marketplace, the AAI, Interoperability Framework, etc. along with launching the EOSC Observatory, the EOSC Knowledge Hub and other intelligence tools, hubs and methodologies for monitoring and training different actors to engage in Open Science.
EOSC Future advanced EOSC through
• Definition of an EOSC Federated System including a common way to describe data and services (the EOSC Profiles) and operational inclusion criteria onboard/register resources in EOSC.
• Development of technical components and services (EOSC Core and Exchange, Interoperability Framework registry and guidelines)
With the EOSC Marketplace, a multi-disciplinary hub was set up, connecting users to 5+ million resources, tools and services, thousands of datasets from a wide scale of research domains from renowned European service providers, supported by a recommender system. Throughout the project, some 330 service providers offered over 470 services via the marketplace. Thirty training materials (catalogues and learning modules) were also added to the marketplace.
The EOSC Interoperability Framework comprises of policies and guidelines, proposed for and by the various research communities, that enable interoperability of resources and services in the EOSC ecosystem. The EOSC IF registry collected onboarding guidelines to ensure research outputs can be made interoperable with other resources and across domains. Throughout the EOSC Future project, over 23 interoperability guidelines were added to the registry.
A truly Open and FAIR European data space for science, research and innovation could not exist without a robust engaged community. EOSC Future advanced the collaboration between communities on the joint goal to establish EOSC and created long-lasting networks that will be active in future actions.