The EOSC Federation Handbook will comprehensively address the purpose, structure, governance, architecture and operations of the EOSC Federation.
The Tripartite Group, which has the remit within the EOSC Partnership’s Tripartite Governance to steer the community development of the EOSC Federation, has endorsed EOSC-A to continue to lead the community-wide co-creation of the EOSC Federation Handbook.
The decisions taken by the EOSC Tripartite Governance on the EOSC Federation will be reflected in the Handbook, which will through this process of iteration become the reference document for the operation of the EOSC Federation.
The EOSC Federation Handbook will be written collaboratively with open consultations, meetings, events and sprints.
EOSC Federation Handbook draft table of contents
A table of contents has been developed for the EOSC Federation Handbook by the core writing team, who have been working together since March 2024 with the support of the EOSC Focus project.
1. Purpose
- Goals and purpose of the EOSC Federation
- Success criteria for the Federation
2. Governance and legal framework
- Governance structure
- EOSC Node Forum
- Legal framework
- Communication and external relations
- Risk management
3. Operational structure and responsibilities
- Introduction
- Management and operational responsibilities
- Nodes
- Application process to become an EOSC Node
- Operations
- Responsibilities
- Review of EOSC Nodes
- Roles for EOSC Nodes
- EOSC Node Members
4. Federation Platform
- Core and Exchange Services (EU Node)
- Federation Interoperability Framework
- Technical operations
- Compute and storage resources
- Cybersecurity
- Links to external entities
- Training
5. Federation scientific resources
- FAIR data repositories
- Productivity tools
- Scientific services
- Services discovery
- Training
6. Federation policies
- Rules of Participation
- Access Policy
- Acceptable Usage Policy
- Ethical, legal and societal issues
- Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- Code of Conduct
Core writing team
Andy Götz
EOSC Association
Mark Dietrich (co-editor)
EGI Foundation
Miguel Rey Mazón (co-editor)
TU Graz
Abdulrahman Azab
Sikt
Susanne Blumesberger
University of Vienna
Korbinian Bösl
University of Bergen
Sally Chambers
DARIAH-EU
Helen Clare
Jisc LBG
Oscar Corcho
UPM
Matthew Dovey
Jisc LBG
Annika Glauner
ETH Zurich
Petr Holub
BBMRI-ERIC
Emma Lazzeri
CNR
Josefine Nordling
CSC – IT Center for Science
Jana Pavlic-Zupanc
BBMRI-ERIC
Nanette Rissler-Pipka
Max Weber Foundation
Martino Romaniello
ESO
Davide Salomoni
INFN and ICSC Foundation
Diego Scardaci
EGI Foundation
Carlos Oscar Sorzano
Instruct-ERIC
York Sure-Vetter
NFDI
Jonathan Tedds
ELIXIR
Mark van de Sanden
Coöperatie SURF
Kannan Venkatesh
ICHEC
Alen Vodopijevec
CESSDA
Victoria Dominguez del Angel
Inria
Natalia Galica
NCN
Daniel Garijo
UPM
Eduardo González
UPM
Peter Maccallum
ELIXIR
Tanja Maier
GÉANT
Paolo Manghi
OpenAIRE
Jana Pavlic-Zupanc
BBMRI
Tommi Suominen
CSC
Eirini Xemantilotou
Instruct-ERIC
The planning and events during 2024 that will impact the drafting process, include:
- Tripartite Events and Tripartite Group meetings preparing for the post-2027 governance of the EOSC Federation
- Milestones in the deployment of the EOSC EU Node
27-28 May 2024
The 8th General Assembly of the EOSC Association will include consultation sessions with the membership on the preliminary draftJune 2024
Writing of the draft EOSC Federation Handbook starts05 July 2024
Discussion of preliminary draft at EOSC Partnership Board meeting #6October 2024
Community consultation on draft chapters (1-3) and chapter outlines (4-6) of the Handbook21-23 October 2024
The EOSC Symposium 2024 in Berlin, where progress on the EOSC Federation Handbook will be presentedNovember 2024
European Tripartite Meeting, where the mature draft will be presented for endorsement
We are pleased to share with you the drafts of the first three chapters of the EOSC Federation Handbook. The public consultation has closed, and these drafts will be revised based on responses to the autumn 2024 consultation.
The writing of the text has been coordinated by the EOSC Association and supported by the EOSC Focus project, following the task assigned by the Tripartite Group (a sub-group of the Tripartite Governance) to draft “a single reference document describing the EOSC Federation, its operational structure and responsibilities, its legal and governance framework, and its technical operations”.
The first version of the EOSC Federation Handbook covers the build-up phase of the Federation in 2025 and 2026. The first three chapters describe the purpose, initial governance and organisational structure of the Federation.
Also in preparation, but not yet completed, are chapters 4, 5 and 6, to be developed and released for consultation in the coming months. These chapters will address operational aspects, services and policies of the EOSC Federation, and the chapter outlines are also included in the consultation.
Once completed, the first iteration of the Handbook will serve as a guide for the initial implementation of EOSC Nodes and the Federation as a whole.
Purpose of the Handbook
When complete, the Handbook will provide a detailed overview of the structure and functioning mechanisms expected to be adopted by the EOSC Federation. The Handbook will guide organisations interested in joining the Federation to contribute resources and collaborate in the pan-European research ecosystem.
The implementation of the EOSC Federation is foreseen to occur over multiple phases. The Handbook will be updated regularly to reflect the current situation of the Federation.
Why your feedback matters
The version of the Handbook shared for consultation is an early draft. More work is needed, so your constructive input and feedback will help the community converge more quickly toward a more complete and effective guidebook to create the Federation. As key stakeholders in the research community, your insights and expertise are invaluable to refine this Handbook, enhance its clarity, relevance, and effectiveness, and ensure it meets the needs of all parties involved.
What we are asking for
We invite you to review the attached draft and provide your feedback on several key areas by answering some specific questions. Your thoughts will help shape the final version of the Handbook, ensuring it is as comprehensive and practical as possible for all potential actors.
Documents for consultation
Draft of Chapters 1, 2 and 3
Outlines of Chapters 4, 5 and 6