EOSC Winter School 2026:
Supporting the EOSC Federation

The third edition of the EOSC Winter School, set to take place in Nice, France on 27-29 January 2026 will build on the momentum created by the EOSC Symposium 2025 and the work of the EOSC Federation Build-up Group, advancing further convergence on the EOSC Federation among all stakeholders. The event is organised by EOSC-A with the support of the EOSC Gravity project.

The EOSC Winter School 2026 will deepen collaboration across the wider EOSC community, fostering stronger alignment with the EOSC Federation Build-up Group. The event will be co-located with a closed meeting of the EOSC Federation Build-up Group on 26-27 January 2026. Outcomes from this meeting will inform the discussions at the Winter School.

The EOSC Federation has now become the central reference point for the work of the INFRAEOSC projects and the wider EOSC community. The Winter School will offer extensive opportunities for participants to engage with the EOSC Nodes of the first wave to explore collaboration opportunities, identify partners for future funding proposals, such as the preparatory grants and inter-project grants under EOSC Gravity, and gain insights into future enrolment calls.

The Winter School will foster convergence through three complementary approaches:

• Strengthening exchange between the EOSC Nodes and the EOSC community: Creating space for dialogue and mutual learning to support future EOSC Node applications and onboarding of resources to the EOSC Federation,
• Providing opportunities to network and forge alliances: Enabling participants to identify partners and shape joint initiatives and funding proposals,
• Enhancing collaboration: Building on the Winter School’s established format, the event will foster in-depth discussions and hands-on collaboration across the EOSC community.

The EOSC Winter School 2026 will feature two interlinking parts:

• EOSC Stakeholder Brokerage Event (27 January): A matchmaking session aiming to connect resource providers with the EOSC Nodes
• Thematic tracks (28-29 January): Engaging sessions focused on:
  • Federating capabilities and interoperability
  • Resources
  • Competencies and training

The programme includes social events and networking opportunities at the end of each day.

Questions?

Reach out to the organisers at eosc_winterschool@eosc.eu

The EOSC Stakeholder Brokerage Event is a matchmaking session connecting resource providers and research infrastructures with the EOSC Nodes and the EOSC Federation Build-up Group.

The Brokerage Event is an opportunity for participants to explore collaboration and onboarding possibilities, preparing joint proposals under the EOSC Gravity open calls, and expanding participation in the EOSC Federation.

Date and time: Tuesday, 27 January 2026, 14:00-18:00.
Format: Pre-scheduled in-person meetings between EOSC Node representatives and resource providers
Capacity: 14 tables (1 table per Node), 10-minute meeting slots.

Why participate?

• Learn how to onboard your service or product to the EOSC Federation;
• Meet representatives of EOSC Nodes and the EOSC EU Node to discuss the technical and organisational requirements to onboard a service, data repository or tool;
• Identify collaboration opportunities, and explore the possibility to apply for funding via EOSC Gravity calls, Horizon Europe calls, or other;
• Gain insight into how to make the development of products and services morew effective by addressing demands from potential users.

Target audience: All stakeholders interested in the provision of resources to the EOSC
Federation.

Registration: After successful registration for the EOSC Winter School 2026, the organisers will invite participants to join the matchmaking platform.

Participation and matchmaking rules

• Please be advised that the time slots for the EOSC Brokerage Event are limited,
• Time slots will be confirmed by the EOSC Nodes and assigned after the acceptance of an invitation to connect,
• EOSC Nodes will prioritise meeting requests that best align with their onboarding priorities and technical requirements,
• Participants without confirmed meetings will:
  • Have their profiles and offers visible on the matchmaking platform,
  • Be able to access EOSC Node onboarding policies and related documentation,
  • Be able to contact EOSC Nodes via the platform, e.g. send messages or follow-up meeting requests,
  • Be invited to follow-up sessions after the Winter School.

EOSC Brokerage Event: Process

Access to the matchmaking platform will be granted after registering for the EOSC Winter School 2026

On the platform, you will be able to:

• Create a profile describing your service, product, or collaboration idea to raise your visibility – this will serve as your pitching material,
• Explore profiles of other attendees and EOSC Nodes,
• Send and receive meeting requests,
• Exchange messages.

Please note that profiles and offers can be prepared in advance, starting from the moment access to the platform is granted. However, meetings can only be requested and confirmed from 20 January 2026, one week before the start of the EOSC Winter School.

Preparation for the Brokerage Event

• Learn about existing EOSC Nodes, through the dedicated EOSC Association webpages;
• Learn about the EOSC Federation through the Federation sessions at the EOSC Symposium2025;
• Explore funding and collaboration opportunities, e.g. Open calls to grow the EOSC Federation;
• Start populating the matchmaking platform with your profile and resource offers, and exploring the profiles of other attendees (a link will be sent to you soon after registration);
• Participate in preparatory online meetings to refine your pitch and learn how to use the matchmaking platform (an invitation will be sent out to registered participants):
  • 11 December 2025, 13:30 CET
  • 14 January 2026, 13:30 CET

Thematic tracks on 28-29 January 2026 aim to foster convergence between the EOSC-A expert pool, the wider EOSC ecosystem, and the EOSC Federation Build-up Group, and are organised around the following topics:

• Federating capabilities and interoperability
• Resources
• Competences and training

The sessions will analyse the challenges faced by the EOSC Federation Build-up Group:

• Clarify the role of the EOSC EU Node in the EOSC Federation, and ensure procurement requirements align with the EOSC Federation’s needs,
• Develop scalable mechanisms for information gathering, consulting, and decision-making as the number of EOSC Nodes grows
• Collectively agree on functionality and interfaces for all federating capabilities, and increase involvement of the EOSC Nodes in decisions regarding solutions for federating capabilities.

Experts from the INFRAEOSC projects, Opportunity Area Expert Groups and EOSC-A Task Forces are working hard to address the challenges identified by the EOSC Federation Build-up Group using their unique expertise in a coordinated push towards a more mature, scalable, and sustainable EOSC Federation.The three parallel thematic tracks will first discuss what solutions need to be developed, to agree then on which actions need to be tackled first, finalising with the creation of a roadmap that can be actioned in 2026. Each track will follow the below structure:

• Session A: Identifying solutions (Wednesday morning): Participants will survey the landscape of potential solutions – technical, organisational, legal, and other – that are available across the EOSC ecosystem to address the challenges faced by the EOSC Federation Build-up Group. The groups will discuss gaps and limitations in the EOSC Federation related to the topic of their track to surface promising directions for advancement.
• Session B: Analysing solutions (Wednesday afternoon): Participants will examine and compare the proposed solutions, establishing a clear set of priorities based on relevance, feasibility, maturity, and expected impact. This session will rely heavily on active, interactive contributions from participants.
• Session C: Roadmap and preparation of reporting slides (Wednesday afternoon): The prioritised solutions will be refined into concrete observations and recommendations. Participants will co-develop the reporting materials and provide feedback on the structure and organisation of the EOSC Winter School, ensuring continuous improvement of the collaborative process.

It is expected that session A will combine targeted presentations with group discussion, while session B will emphasise structured, participatory exploration of options. Session C will synthesise the insights and outcomes of the previous sessions into a coherent set of recommendations and next steps for accelerating the development of the EOSC Federation.

The current version of the detailed programme is available here.

A maximum of 170 seats are available for the event. Participation is handled through a single-stage process, and seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone beyond this limit will be placed on a waiting list and notified if a spot becomes available.

Payment of the conference package will be due upon receipt of the confirmation email and no later than the below deadline.

Deadline for the booking and paying of the travel package: 12 January 2026, 12:00 CET (lunch time).

Financial aspects

The cost of the travel package for the EOSC Winter School 2026 is EUR 921,50 (excluding Travel Margin VAT) per person.

The regular travel package covers:

• 2-night stay (from Tuesday, 27 January, to Thursday, 29 January 2026) at the event hotel. It is not possible to purchase a travel package with fewer than 2 nights.
• Admission to the EOSC Winter School 2026 and the Brokerage Event, including access to all sessions, lunches and coffee breaks on 27-29 January 2026, all related meeting materials, the drinks reception on 27 January, and the dinner reception on 28 January.

Important information

The package does not include travel expenses or additional extras. All prices are exclusive of VAT.

Participants’ place at the EOSC Winter School will be considered booked only once payment has been received and successfully processed. Payment can be made by bank transfer only. An invoice will be sent to the email address provided at the start of the registration process, together with the confirmation email, upon completion of the form.

Participants who wish to extend their stay by checking in before Tuesday, 27 January 2026, or checking out after Thursday, 29 January 2026, will need to arrange a separate booking directly with the hotel. To make additional reservations, please contact the hotel directly.

EOSC-A is the official organiser of the EOSC Winter School 2026, and as such, this arrangement has VAT implications for the EOSC Association. Therefore, participation in the EOSC Winter School 2026 is exclusively available through the purchase of the travel package. The EOSC Winter School 2026 is organised as a cost-neutral event, ensuring that all expenses are covered without generating any profit for the organiser.

Travel arrangements

Please note that the attendance package does not cover travel costs. Kindly refrain from making any travel arrangements until you have received your invoice and written confirmation that your place at the EOSC Winter School has been confirmed and you have paid for the attendance package.

Event venue: Radisson Hotel, Nice

The EOSC Winter School 2026 will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, located on the iconic Promenade des Anglais in Nice. This elegant hotel offers modern amenities and comfortable accommodations, making it an ideal setting for the event.

About the area

Nice is famous for its beautiful Mediterranean coastline, historic old town, and bustling Promenade des Anglais. From charming cafés and restaurants to cultural landmarks and scenic viewpoints, the city provides the perfect backdrop for both business and leisure.

Getting to the hotel

The event venue is easily accessible by tram or car. The hotel is just minutes away from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport and the city center.

From Nice Airport

• By taxi/car: Nice Airport is only 5 km from the hotel. You can take a taxi directly to the hotel.
• By public transport: Tramway T2 stops right behind the hotel at Saint Hélène, reaching it in less than 15 minutes.

From Gare de Nice Ville

• By taxi: The train station is only 5 km from the hotel. You can take a taxi directly to the hotel.
• By public transport: Take Tramway T2 from Jean-Médecin station and get off at Saint Hélène, right behind the hotel.

Opportunity to identify emerging trends to be included in SRIA 2.0

As part of the registration process, EOSC-A will gather feedback from participants on emerging trends and gaps that should be taken into account in EOSC Partnership’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda 2.0 (SRIA 2.0).

SRIA 2.0 will set out the strategic orientation of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) for the period 2026–2030. This new version will provide a comprehensive overview of EOSC’s evolving role within the European Research and Innovation ecosystem and will outline the actions needed to ensure its long-term sustainability and impact. Developed jointly by the European Commission and EOSC-A, the strategy will articulate a shared vision of an interconnected, trusted, and federated environment enabling researchers, institutions, and innovators to share, access, and reuse research outputs in line with FAIR and Open Science principles.

Chapter 2 of SRIA 2.0, titled “Current Landscape: Gaps, Trends, and Challenges”, will analyse the current implementation landscape, assessing EOSC’s maturity, achievements, and challenges. It will identify major gaps and barriers—technical, organisational, and policy-related—across the five key implementation tasks, while highlighting emerging trends in open science, artificial intelligence, and research data management.