Course 4: Minimum Requirements for a Project Charter

Topic 1: Understanding the Charter Structure​

Topic 2: Seven General Criteria for Evaluation​

This module focuses on Charter Section 2 (Value Proposition) guiding participants in developing a compelling, one-page statement that articulates why their Node is essential to the EOSC Federation. Participants will apply multi-stakeholder frameworks adapted for research infrastructure contexts to analyse stakeholder needs, identify their Node’s unique positioning, and construct a clear, evidence-based value proposition that differentiates their Node from others and demonstrates its essential contribution to EOSC.

This module focuses on Charter Section 3 (Services & Repositories), addressing the technical documentation requirements for EOSC services. Participants will learn the Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL 7) assessment framework, access policy standards, and how to identify whether their services use or complement existing federating capabilities or add new capabilities to the Federation, enabling them to document their service portfolio with the appropriate evidence and produce compliant service tables for their Charter using reference materials including the Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures and Services.

This module focuses on use case development, which is a critical component of the Charter demonstrating the Node’s practical value to research communities and EOSC. Participants will be introduced to the mandatory use case format and learn how to develop multi-Node collaborations (General Criterion #6), define clear scope boundaries to manage expectations, and create realistic implementation timelines, enabling them to construct compelling use cases that connect their services to actual research workflows.

This module focuses on Charter Section 5 (Technical Compliance) and General Criterion #3, addressing EOSC’s technical integration requirements. Participants will learn about Authentication & Authorization Infrastructure (AAI) integration planning, Service Catalogue registration procedures, and how Node Core Capabilities will be implemented, enabling them to develop realistic technical integration roadmaps for their Charter.

This module focuses on Charter Sections 6 (External Dependencies & Key Risks) and 7 (Contributions/Deliverables), applying integrated project management principles to connect risk assessment with deliverable planning. Participants will learn ISO 31000:2018 risk management frameworks to identify and assess common EOSC Node risks, and how to link mitigation actions directly to concrete, SMART-formatted deliverables, creating risk-informed project commitments that demonstrate accountability and implementation feasibility.

This module focuses on Charter Section 8 (Community Engagement) and General Criterion #2, addressing how Nodes enable their communities to engage and participate in EOSC Federation. Participants will learn the distinction between engagement capacity (demonstrated capability) and engagement willingness (stated intention), and how to design resource-realistic communication mechanisms, establish third-party service provider onboarding pathways, and define measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for engagement success.

This module focuses on Charter Sections 1 (Project Summary), 9 (Timing and Milestones), and 10 (Contacts), guiding participants through the final steps of Charter development. Participants will learn how to designate the five mandatory organisational roles required by General Criterion #5 (Coordinator, Operations Officer, Cybersecurity Officer, Legal Officer, Communications Officer), create milestone timelines with dependency management, and synthesize all Charter sections into a compelling Project Summary, enabling them to finalise submission-ready documentation.