Overview

• The EOSC Federation is a distributed "system of systems" that federates national, regional, thematic, and European infrastructures to give researchers seamless access to digital research resources and FAIR research outputs.
• It aims to move from siloed services to an integrated, community-driven environment that supports storage, sharing, processing, and analysis across borders.

Vision & Core Purpose

• Provide a trustworthy, secure, and community-led environment for Open Science in Europe.
• Enable interoperable access to data, software, publications, and computing resources to accelerate research and collaboration.

Core Objectives

• Seamless access: unified experience for finding and using research resources.
• FAIR implementation: promote Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable practices and standards.
• Common European Data Space for R&I: create an interoperable data space for research and innovation.
• Global links: connect with international open-science initiatives.

Target Users

• Primary: researchers at research-performing organisations and research infrastructures.
• Secondary: citizen scientists and industry researchers who can benefit from federated resources.

Architecture: System of Systems

• The Federation is not a single central cloud but a network of autonomous EOSC Nodes that interoperate under common rules.
• Nodes operate independently but expose services and metadata so resources can be discovered and used across the Federation.

EOSC Node — Definition and Role

• An EOSC Node is a platform run by a national, regional, thematic, or European organisation or consortium that provides access to digital research resources.
• Nodes must follow Federation policies while retaining internal governance and control over their resources.

Key elements of a Node

• Autonomy: Nodes manage internal consortia and bilateral agreements as long as they comply with Federation rules.
• Legal representation: Each Node is represented by a legal organisation that accepts Federation policies.
• Resource integration: Nodes should integrate services (e.g., AAI proxies compatible with the AARC Blueprint) to enable federation-wide capabilities.

Foundational Principles

• Inclusivity & accessibility: low barriers to entry and ease of use for diverse participants.
• Community-driven: co-creation and stakeholder engagement guide the Federation.
• Autonomy & control: resource owners keep control and retain rights and credit for data.
• Flexibility: evolutionary approach, learning and adapting over time.

Governance & Operational Structure

Tripartite strategic governance

• European Commission: DG RTD and DG CNECT represent the Commission.
• EOSC Association: non-profit representing stakeholders and providing the Interim Secretariat.
• EOSC Steering Board: representatives of Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries.

Interim operational governance (transition to production)

• Interim EOSC Node Coordinator Committee: strategic alignment and policy endorsement with Node and Tripartite reps.
• Interim EOSC Node Operations Committee: handles technical onboarding, interoperability, and monitoring.
• Interim Working Groups: address thematic issues and produce recommendations.
• Interim Secretariat: EOSC Association coordinates administration and communication.

Technical Requirements & Interoperability

Mandatory technical requirements

• Federated AAI: Nodes must comply with EOSC Node Federated AAI requirements (EOSC AAI Architecture 2025) by March 2025.
• Federated catalogues: Nodes must register Service and Research Product catalogues in the EOSC EU Node Resource Catalogue by September 2025.

Recommended capabilities

• Order management and helpdesk systems to support user workflows.
• Service monitoring and accounting for research products to track usage and performance.
• Application workflow management to automate and coordinate resource use.

Roadmap, Deployment Waves & Milestones

• The Federation moves through an Interim Phase (2025–2027) to transition prototype commitments into full production.

Deployment waves

• First wave: 13 candidate Nodes (national, thematic, e-infrastructures) addressing overlaps and access policies.
• Second wave: announced November 2025, applications deadline January 2026, deployment starting May 2026.

Q4 2025 target milestones

1. First-edition Federation-wide policies released (Rules of Participation, Cybersecurity, Privacy).
2. Detailed Node application process (legal, organisational, technical) published.
3. First edition of the EOSC Interoperability Framework released.
4. Demonstration of cross-Node use of federating capabilities (monitoring, helpdesk, accounting).

Strategic Value & Outcomes

• Efficiency & sustainability: reduces duplication and pools resources and expertise.
• Research integrity: promotes reproducibility through FAIR practices and standards.
• Data sovereignty: balances openness with necessary restrictions so owners retain rights and credit.
• Visibility & cross-domain research: amplifies scientific reach and enables interdisciplinary work.
• Robustness: improves resilience against cyber threats and unreliable digital objects.

Education & Training

• EOSC Academy will build participant capacity; training activities start with the Winter School in January 2026.

Quick reference: important deadlines

• Federated AAI compliance: March 2025.
• Register catalogues in EOSC Resource Catalogue: September 2025.
• Second wave application deadline: January 2026; deployment from May 2026.

Practical takeaways for a Node applicant

• Prepare legal representation and governance aligned with Federation rules.
• Implement or plan for federated AAI and catalogue registration before deadlines.
• Consider adding helpdesk, monitoring, and workflow management to meet recommended capabilities.
• Engage with interim governance bodies and working groups to influence policies and interoperability.