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Research and innovation
News article11 March 2021Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

First meeting of the new EOSC Steering Board

The EOSC Steering Board 2021 met for the first time on 11 March 2021.

Context: In 2018, the Council welcomed a two-stage approach for the EOSC governance that enables “all Member States and the Commission to steer and oversee the initial development of the EOSC in the first phase (2018-2020)”, while “in the second phase (2021-2030), the EOSC governance should become mainly stakeholder-driven, while maintaining a higher-level steering role for all Member States and the Commission”.

Objectives of the EOSC Steering Board (EOSC-SB): The EOSC-Steering Board is representing the voice of the countries interested to participate in the EOSC: the Member States and the countries associated to Horizon Europe (as their association agreements are finalised). The objectives of the Board are twofold:

  • to create a common understanding between the Commission, the Member States and the countries associated to the Research and Innovation Framework Programme on the direction of policy developments required for achieving the strategic, political and implementation objectives of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC);  
  • to pursue synergies and alignment of national policies and investments relevant to the EOSC.

These objectives will be achieved with a focus on strategic coordination and convergence between the Commission, MS and AC on questions relating to the implementation of Union legislation, programmes and policies related to open science and EOSC, exchange of experience and best practice, collaboration, synergy to shape Member states national policies in open science, and joint position on policy issues of EU and national interest.

Structure of the EOSC Steering Board in 2021: the EOSC-SB was established early in 2021 as an informal expert group of the Commission (E03756) for a period of one year with possibility to be continued or renewed after 2021.

Highlights of the first meeting of the EOSC Steering-Board: The first meeting of the EOSC Steering Board was attended by 44 representatives of the Member States and 13 participants from the European Commission (DG RTD and DG CNECT). During the meeting, the participants were informed about the setting-up of the EOSC-SB Expert Group of the Commission, its final Terms of Reference, the draft Memorandum of Understanding of the candidate EOSC European Partnership, as well as the relationship between the EOSC-SB and the new Expert Group on the ERA Forum for Transition. The two main subjects for discussion were the draft Rules of Procedure of the Board and its future Work Plan.

Details

Publication date
11 March 2021
Author
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation