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Research and innovation
News article14 March 2018Brussels

Implementation Roadmap for the European Open Science Cloud

The Commission adopted on 14 March 2018 the Implementation Roadmap for the European Science Cloud (SWD(2018)83).

Overall, the document presents the results and available evidence from an extensive and conclusive consultation process that started with the publication of the Communication: European Cloud initiative (COM(2016)178) in April 2016.

The consultation upheld the intervention logic presented in the Communication, to create a fit for purpose pan-European federation of research data infrastructures, with a view to moving from the current fragmentation to a situation where data is easy to store, find, share and re-use.

On the basis of the consultation, the implementation Roadmap gives and overview of six actions lines for the implementation of the EOSC:

a) architecture, b) data, c) services, d) access & interfaces, e) rules and f) governance.

Specifically regarding the latter, the Roadmap presents a governance framework and a governance structure that emerged from the consultation, as a basis for further discussion with Member States. This was foreseen explicitly by the Communication.

The document describes the measures taken under Horizon 2020 Work Programmes to start implementing the EOSC. The financing of the EOSC is secured until 2020 through the Horizon 2020 Work Programme (including €300 million to support the development of the EOSC federating core and open FAIR data pilot), and based on the additional commitments of stakeholders responding to the EOSC Summit Declaration.

The document also specifies the link to the European Data Infrastructure, underpinning high-capacity cloud solutions with super-computing capacity, as well as widening the EOSC by gradually opening up its user base to the public sector and industry.

Today, the document is presented and discussed with the Research Working Party of the Council, with a view of finalising the governance framework for the initiative in the earnest.

Overall, the document will serve as a basis for further consultation with Member States, the European Parliament and other relevant stakeholders on the next steps to take. The EOSC has emerged as a clear policy priority for European research and innovation. It has been strongly supported by the European scientific community in the EOSC Summit and Declaration, by the Council in Council Conclusions (May 2016) and by a European Parliament Resolution (January 2017). It also received favourable opinions from the Economic and Social Committee (September 2016) and from the Committee of the Regions (October 2016).

Details

Publication date
14 March 2018
Location
Brussels