The three-day EOSC Symposium held in Berlin from October 21 to 23, 2024, was marked by two significant events: the launch of the EOSC EU Node and the presentation of the first version of the "EOSC Federation Handbook".
The EOSC EU Node serves as the core component of EOSC, providing essential functions such as authentication and authorization, monitoring, Helpdesk, and other foundational services and resources for the future federation. This launch is the first tangible operational milestone in establishing a unified European data space for science, making EOSC the first operational European "data space" within the European Data Strategy.
To establish a fully functional EOSC federation, additional national and thematic nodes will join in the coming phases, bringing services and resources dedicated to researchers with an emphasis on FAIR data. In the initial pilot phase, a limited number of national and thematic nodes will be selected at the upcoming EOSC Tripartite meeting in November. Among the approximately 50 candidates who expressed interest in establishing an EOSC node, SRCE (University Computing Center) is also included.
The EOSC node offers a wide range of applications and infrastructural services, FAIR high-quality data, and interoperable services in reliable and secure environments. Joining the EOSC federation through a node allows members to benefit from economies of scale (resource pooling, research facility integration, etc.), enrich virtual research environments, expand reach and connectivity, and grow researcher communities.
The EOSC Federation Handbook will provide a comprehensive overview of the federation’s purpose, structure, management, architecture, and operations. During the symposium, initial discussions on the first three chapters were conducted, and public consultations are open until the end of October.
With the development of key components of the national e-infrastructure, such as computational (notably supercomputers "Supek" and "Vrančić") and data infrastructure (including the national Digital Academic Archives and Repositories, DABAR, the Croatian Scientific and Professional Journals Portal Hrčak, and the Croatian Open Science Cloud Initiative, HR-OOZ), SRCE and the broader scientific community in Croatia have laid the groundwork for establishing a national node to join the EOSC federation. The HR-OOZ initiative results from years of collaboration among various stakeholders in Croatia’s science and higher education system, advancing open science within the country.
