The EOSC Focus project will support the co-programmed EOSC Partnership in delivering its mission of establishing Open Science as the “new normal” and achieving the key objectives, outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Union and the EOSC Association.
The project has been awarded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe call INFRA-2021-EOSC-01-02 “Supporting the development and coordination of activities of the EOSC Partnership”.
Project details
Duration: 36 months, 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2025
Funding source: Horizon Europe
Call identifier: HORIZON-INFRA-2021-EOSC-01
Summary of main topic and goals: EOSC Focus will support the co-programmed EOSC Partnership in delivering its mission of establishing Open Science as the “new normal”. The project is the Coordination and Support Action that will support the EOSC Partnership in achieving the ambitious goals set in the EOSC Co-Programmed Partnership Memorandum of Understanding. The project will also offer coordination and operational support to the EOSC Association Task Forces and will work in close collaboration with the EOSC Association Board of Directors to advance the EOSC Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and the EOSC monitoring framework.
Project Consortium
- EOSC Association (EOSC-A) | Coordinator | Belgium
- Technische Universität Graz (TU Graz) | Austria
- Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) | Austria
- Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN) | Poland
- Stichting EGI (EGI) | Netherlands
- Belnet Belgisch Telematica Onderzoeknetwerk (Belnet) | Belgium
- Centro de Investigación Ecológica y Aplicaciones Forestales (CREAF) | Spain
- CLARIN-ERIC (CLARIN) | Netherlands
- CSC-Tieteen Tietotekniikan Keskus OY (CSC) | Finland
Focusing on Open, Collaboration and Useful Science, EOSC Focus aims to:
- Provide an effective stakeholder Forum
- Consolidate and enhance existing monitoring frameworks
- Identify strategic gaps to inform future integrations of the SRIA
- Develop and test resourcing models for a sustainable EOSC
- Implement the EOSC Rules of Participation (RoP)
- Collaborate with EOSC projects, other partnerships and international initiatives
- Project Quality and Risk Management Plan
- Data Management Plan
- Selection of KPIs to be reported by HE projects
- Annual report published by the EOSC-A & monitoring framework revision (first release)
- Technical Collaboration Plan with other European Partnerships and relevant initiatives
- Resourcing models
- Report in the form of the half-yearly digest on EOSC technical activities following the ETCC
- Annual report published by the EOSC-A & monitoring framework revision (second release)
- Annual report published by the EOSC-A & monitoring framework revision (third release)
- Technical Collaboration Report with other European Partnerships and relevant initiatives
- Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) update
- Sustainability status and plans/issues for future work
- Engagement Activities Review
Work Packages & Deliverables
EOSC Focus submitted its First Periodic Technical Report in January 2024, and the General Project Review by the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) was received in March 2024.
All submitted deliverables have been accepted and are available on the EOSC-A Zenodo channel.
The review’s overall assessment determines that “the project has advanced substantially towards its objectives. First and foremost, it has undertaken many activities that strengthened the collaboration within the actors of the EOSC ecosystem, such as the establishment of the EOSC Forum where information is exchanged and organizations of many different events and consultations where EOSC actors participated. Emphasis has been also put on boosting the collaboration of EOSC- related Horizon Europe projects (notably of the INFRAEOSC projects).”
Also cited in the report is the successful establishment and implementation of the Partnership’s Monitoring Framework, updates to the Rules of Participation, and the specification of a set of resource models. The assessment concludes that, “overall, EOSC Focus has so far [made] an active and positive contribution in shaping the future of EOSC, with an outlook that extends beyond the end of the project and considers the latest developments of the ecosystem (e.g., the EOSC Nodes)…. Most importantly, the project has ensured the continuous and tangible growth of the EOSC ecosystem in terms of researchers and initiatives”.
WP1: Project Coordination
WP2: Stakeholder Engagement & Management
- D2.1 Rolling engagement plan (Combined with / superseded by D6.1)
Second Period:
D2.2 Engagement activities review
WP3: SRIA Update & Technical Development
Second Period:
D3.3 Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) update
WP4: Monitoring and Impact Assessment
Second Period:
D4.3 Annual reports published by EOSC-A, providing aggregated data relating to performance levels and contributions
WP5: Sustainability of EOSC
Second Period:
D5.2 Sustainability status and plans/issues for future work
WP6: Communication, Dissemination & Stakeholder Forum
- D6.1 Communication and dissemination plan (Sensitive: dissemination limited under Grant Agreement)
Second Period:
D6.2 Final communication, dissemination and exploitation plan (Sensitive: dissemination limited under Grant Agreement)
Highlight: Interview series with EOSC-A Mandated Organisations
This series of monthly person-to-person interviews is coordinated by the EOSC Focus project.
The interviews aim to highlight the role of the EOSC Association’s Mandated Organisations. By bringing their activities and insights to the forefront, the EOSC Focus interviews help to reinforce the connections between each country’s Mandated Organisation and its EOSC Association Member and Observer organisations, as well as to make visible the work going into the implementation of EOSC at the national and institutional levels.
Highlight: Winter School 2024
The EOSC Winter School is an initiative by EOSC-A, taken up in response to collaboration needs among Horizon Europe EOSC-related projects.
A full roundup of the event, including photos: Winter School 2024: EOSC-A Board and Task Forces engage in hands-on collaboration with 21 EOSC-related projects
The EOSC Winter School was conceptualised following a suggestion at the European Commission’s June 2023 coordination meeting, which identified a significant collaboration gap in the Horizon Europe (HE) EOSC-related projects. The EOSC Association, with the support of the EOSC Focus project, the HE EOSC-related projects, and local organisers from the RAISE project consortium, organised the EOSC Winter School to address these gaps and to deepen technical understanding in various “opportunity areas”.
Visit the Winter School page for presentations and outcomes.