EOSC Symposium 2024: Outcomes and resources

Welcome to the official outcomes and resources page for the EOSC Symposium 2024! Here you will find the key takeaways and materials from this pivotal event, where stakeholders from the EOSC community gathered in Berlin on 21-23 October 2024 to discuss and shape the build-up phase of the EOSC Federation.

Download links for presentation slides can be found in the resources column as they become available, and short summaries from each session will be posted regularly. Please check regularly for updates.

Session recordings will be added to the resources column after the conference concludes.

Day 1 | Monday, 21 October

Plenary

13:00-15:00 Opening session

About this session

The main objective of the EOSC Symposium opening session is to set the scene for the entire EOSC Symposium event. High-level invited speakers will be featured in the opening session to provide the participants with an overview of the landscape in which EOSC operates and highlight the strategic importance of the EOSC initiative in the EU Data Strategy. The opening session will also be the venue to update the entire EOSC community on the latest EOSC developments and discuss the progress and next steps to build-up the EOSC Federation.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates.

Breakout sessions

15:30-16:30 Examples of EOSC scientific, societal and economic impact (Part 1)

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

15:30-16:30 EOSC and the European Health Data Space

About this session

The European Health Data Space is a an ecosystem that define rules, standards, infrastructures and a governance framework for the management of health data to: 1) Empower the citizen in the control and access of health data; 2) Setting up a trustworthy environment for the secondary use of health data in research, innovation and policy-making. The EHDS and EOSC share goals on the secondary use of data for research and complementarities

In this regard, the EOSC-A has created a Task Force on Health Data to work on the identification of special requirements, regulations and the ethical and legal grounds to make the access and processing of health data in the context of EOSC fair and safe, and to explore the activities in the context of the EHDS to search for gaps and avoid the replication of efforts.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

15:30-16:30 INFRAEOSC projects: Early results and future plans for the common collaboration areas

About this session

The session introduces the work of the Opportunity Area (OA) Expert Groups, a mechanism for voluntary collaboration on technical and related matters within the Horizon Europe (HE) Co-programmed Partnership for EOSC. It convenes representatives of Opportunity Area Expert Groups from current HE EOSC-related projects and EOSC Association Task Forces to i) briefly present current developments within the OA Expert Groups, including pertinent outcomes and future plans, and ii) jointly discuss a way forward to maximize the impact of the HE EOSC-related projects. The session is designed to give the audience a flavor of the groups‘ fundamental role in facilitating strategic collaboration, and in increasing the visibility and effectiveness of EOSC-related activities and joint efforts.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

Ilire Hasani-Mavriqi, TU Graz; and Stefan Reichmann, TU Graz

Watch session teaser

17:00-18:00 Examples of EOSC scientific, societal and economic impact (Part 2)

About this session

The purpose of the session is to explore instruments and best practices to generate and document impact in relation to EOSC, FAIR principles and Open Science. The first presentation will describe the the early findings of the PATHOS project that is exploring how to better understand and measure Open Science impacts. The first presentation will be followed by a second presentation by ELIXIR providing a concrete example of socio-economic impact. The session is closed with a panel discussing the lessons learnt and challenges in showcasing and documenting impact for EOSC, FAIR and Open Science.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Unconference sessions

17:00-18:00 As open as possible, as restricted as necessary: EOSC sensitive data exchange

About this session

First we will introduce the drivers from biomedical research and the social sciences – the challenges in finding, sharing and analysing data sets while respecting the rights and ethical principles which apply; then, future EOSC solutions for FAIR sensitive data – technologies for the deployment of secure Cloud or physical technologies, tools to assist data rights holders to anonymize and share data, and the development of operational, policy and legal frameworks.

Participants will connect to the requirements gathering and solution design teams for sensitive data in EOSC.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

ELIXIR, EUDAT, EOSC-ENTRUST, UNIVERSIDAD DE MURCIA, TITAN, EOSC-SIESTA, CSIC

Watch session teaser

17:00-18:00 No data without software!

About this session

The goal of this session is discussing the needs for sustainable research software development within/across disciplines, and elaborating on infrastructure and methodological developments.

This session deals with the role of software in scientific processes, and the way to develop such software to achieve reproducibility and reuse of research data. This includes categorizing and archiving software in a time-capsule allowing it to reopen/reuse it after a while.

With an interactive format, the audience will share experiences and pain points from (not) using long-archiving infrastructure. Involving multiple perspectives from various fields, will help to gather requirements and sharpen the idea of a supportive research environment.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

NFDIxCS, NFDI4DataScience, Software Heritage Foundation, FAIRCORE4EOSC

Watch session teaser

Day 2 | Tuesday, 22 October

Plenary

09:00-09:30 Scientific keynote

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

09:30-11:00 EOSC Federation

About this session

The EOSC Federation will consist of multiple “EOSC Nodes” that are interconnected and can collaborate to share and manage scientific data, knowledge, and resources within and across thematic and geographical research communities. This session will mark the official launch of the first node of the EOSC Federation, the EOSC EU Node, and will provide the EOSC Symposium participants with an overview of the status of implementation of the rest of the EOSC Federation and the related next steps.

More about the EOSC EU Node: Owned by DG CONNECT, the EOSC EU Node is a platform that primarily supports multi-disciplinary and multi-national research promoting the use of FAIR data and supplementary services in Europe and beyond. In addition, the EOSC EU Node is a platform that facilitates the creation of the EOSC Federation, following the system of systems architectural principle of federated research infrastructures. The oversight of the EOSC EU Node platform services is provided by the EOSC Tripartite Governance.

More about the EOSC Federation: To fully unlock the benefits of EOSC, one single node is not enough: additional “EOSC Nodes” need to be established and enrolled into the EOSC Federation.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Breakout sessions

11:30-12:30 Getting ready for the EOSC Federation: Perspectives of different stakeholders (Part 1)

About this session

The EOSC Federation is going to bring together providers of data, services and e-infrastructures as a system of systems, to deliver to researchers seamless access under a common umbrella. This session is going to provide the stakeholders’ perspective, by highlighting different ways forward for resource providers, funders and policy makers. This should be seen as a learning exercise: we will discuss approaches that lead towards a federated system, examples on how support can be achieved at national level, and how the challenges and opportunities can be tackled by those who want to engage as EOSC nodes.

In this first of two sessions, we focus on the point of view of countries and actors at the national level.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

14:00-15:00 Getting ready for the EOSC Federation: Perspectives of different stakeholders (Part 2)

About this session

The EOSC Federation is going to bring together providers of data, services and e-infrastructures as a system of systems, to deliver to researchers seamless access under a common umbrella. This session is going to provide the stakeholders’ perspective, by highlighting different ways forward for resource providers, funders and policy makers. This should be seen as a learning exercise: we will discuss approaches that lead towards a federated system, examples on how support can be achieved at national level, and how the challenges and opportunities can be tackled by those who want to engage as EOSC nodes.

In this second session, European federations from different backgrounds relevant for EOSC will discuss their experience and expectations to help building the EOSC Federation.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

14:00-15:00 Legal issues along the research data cycle

About this session

Data access and re-use has become increasingly important for research activities. As an example, developments in artificial intelligence rely on the use of large, high-quality datasets. However, researchers face hurdles. Various data and digital legislations have been recently adopted, creating a complex landscape not always easy for them to navigate. Additionally, there is the need to support capacity building on appropriate IP and research data management, to help researchers with issues such as data ownership, cross-border sharing of data and research security. The roundtable will involve legal experts, representatives from infrastructures and research organizations, to discuss challenges and possible ways forward.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

Katja Mayer, University of Vienna; Stefan Skupien, Berlin University Alliance; Silvia Bottaro, European Commission DG RTD, Open Science Unit

Watch session teaser

15:30-16:30 EOSC Federation Handbook

About this session

The EOSC Federation Handbook will comprehensively address the purpose, structure, governance, architecture and operations of the EOSC Federation.

This session will focus on the ongoing developments and status of preparation of the EOSC Federation Handbook.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

15:30-16:30 Data retention

About this session

The research data management activities that deliver initial curation and active preservation (identified as priority concepts by the Long-Term Data Preservation Task Force) are in turn dependent on clear appraisal and reappraisal over time to guide transparent information about retention periods and terms (including storage and preservation).

The Retention Task Force will deliver a landscape review of community needs around retention and appraisal, and engage with forthcoming projects on preservation frameworks and networks of trustworthy repositories. By reaching a broad understanding by the EOSC community around the activities, functions and concepts the TF will identify needs and make strategic recommendations on continued actions, including via the Multi-Annual Roadmap and Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

This session will set the stage for this topic, process and engagement, including seeking panel and audience feedback on key issues, connection points and approaches.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

15:30-16:30 FAIR metrics & data quality

About this session

The productivity of research data within a trustworthy and reliable process chain requires a precise statement on FAIRness and data quality management for the targeted support of digital research objects, infrastructures, tools and services.
Both fundamentals, FAIR and data quality in research data management, face specifics, e.g., for data lifecycle, provenance, and the re-use of data across thematic domains. Do we have any mechanisms to provide low-barrier opportunities for implementing indicators from a funding perspective? What are the incentives and benefits as the value in governance, community development of standards, and metrics?

In this participative discussion, we would like to provide insights into the potential benefits and individual incentives that infrastructures like the NFDI consortia, policymakers, and funding agencies or publishers can offer to individual research activities in promoting the development of FAIR Metrics and data quality considering rapid technological developments and advanced requirements.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

17:00-18:00 EOSC Federation – Interoperability

About this session

Unlocking the full potential of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) hinges on seamless access to high-quality research data and services. This session delves into the critical concepts of technical and semantic interoperability, the cornerstones of a truly interconnected research environment.

Experts will explore:

  • Technical Interoperability: Ensuring services across EOSC can communicate and exchange data efficiently.
  • Semantic Interoperability: Standardising how data is described (metadata) to facilitate effortless discovery across diverse thematic and regional nodes.

Join the discussion!
This interactive session welcomes your insights and experiences. Together, we can shape a more user-friendly EOSC, empowering researchers with a powerful platform for scientific collaboration and discovery.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

17:00-18:00 EOSC and the Digital Twins

About this session

Digital Twins have proven their potential in revolutionising approaches to challenging tasks in the industrial sector, and are increasingly being leveraged as a research method bringing similar innovative approaches to the way science is performed.

This session aims to bring relevant Digital Twins initiatives in Europe (DestinE, BioDT, DT-GEO, interTwin and ILIAD/aquaInfra) highlighting new dimensions of interoperability at data and service levels. Thanks to the focus on interoperability, as well as on challenges and transferrable approaches and tools, the session will be a unique opportunity for the EOSC Community to discover the wide range of possibilities that Digital Twins can offer, in all research domains, and the role Digital Twin Platforms can play in future EOSC Nodes.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back for updates later

Session organisers

Gwen Franck, EGI; Xavier Salazar Forn, EGI; Varvara Vedia, CSIC; and Timea Biro, CSC

Watch session teaser

Unconference sessions

11:30-12:30 EOSC collaborative frontiers to achieve interoperability and enhance scholarly data

About this session

This session explores advancements in scholarly data interoperability within EOSC. It examines the Scientific Knowledge Graph – Interoperability Framework (SKG-IF), a Research Data Alliance model for managing scholarly data, currently being utilized and enhanced in EOSC projects like GraspOS, SciLake, OSTrails, and FAIRCORE4EOSC. Representatives from research communities testing the framework will offer insights on its specific applications: data and metadata management, FAIRness, research assessment, and research discovery. The session aims to showcase collaborative efforts to enhance EOSC’s data interoperability and gather community feedback on the SKG-IF development roadmap.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

GraspOS, SciLake, OSTrails, FAIRCORE4EOSC

Watch session teaser

11:30-12:30 Open Science Competence Center in the EOSC and beyond

About this session

This unconference session examines the roles and definitions of Competence Centres within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). Participants will discuss their scope, share initiatives, evaluate impacts, and identify challenges and opportunities. Updates on the OSCARS and EVERSE projects and the Skills4EOSC Network will guide the discussion. The participant-driven format promotes collaboration, allowing attendees to share experiences and contextualise initiatives. A panel discussion will engage the audience using interactive tools. The session aims to develop short-/mid-term synergies across projects and start work towards a community paper on Competence Centres’ goals, strategies, and their relation to EOSC Nodes.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

Skills4EOSC, OSCARS, EOSC-EuroScienceGateway, EOSCFocus, EVERSE, OA5 expert group

Watch session teaser

14:00-15:00 Data competencies: Training, education, qualification for researchers and data stewards

About this session

Training and education are important prerequisites for research data management and data science. At European level and within the EOSC, there are already a number of projects dealing with this topic, e.g. Skills4EOSC and ELIXIR/TeSS. At national level, the German NFDI addresses capacity building at both disciplinary and cross-cutting levels. In this unconference, we want to bring national and European actors together to raise awareness, share knowledge and perspectives, and encourage collaboration and discussion on alignment. Verifiable, trustworthy credentials will be a particular focus, as the responsible use of data within ethical and legal constraints becomes increasingly important.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

NFDI Section EduTrain, NFDI4Health, DALIA Knowledge-Base for FAIR data usage and knowledge graph

Watch session teaser

17:00-18:00 Findability in FAIR: Touchpoints between EOSC and Open Web Search

About this session

This session explores novel ways for current and future collaboration in findability (F) in FAIR, and how it contributes to the future goals on FAIR data and principles in the context of EOSC. The session addresses the importance of transparency in development of search applications and tools, and discusses how widening collaboration may benefit the whole research community. The session investigates synergies within science-search-focused contexts through examples from OpenWebSearch.eu, FAIRCORE4EOSC and FAIR-IMPACT. It discusses how improved findability impacts science, industry and society as a whole. It contributes to the objectives outlined in the EOSC Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda and to Europe’s sovereignty for accessing and using the web.

We will engage the audience into discussions through an audience interaction platform, and approach the topic of findability with emphasis on collaboration. This session will be a great opportunity to find synergies and boost ideas by injecting the user perspective.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

FAIRCORE4EOSC, FAIR-IMPACT, OpenWebSearch.eu

Watch session teaser

Day 3 | Wednesday, 23 October

Plenary

09:00-10:30 FAIR data for AI and AI for FAIR data

About this session

Opened by an inspirational keynote by Professor Julia Lane from New York University looking at Artificial Intelligence (AI) trends and how FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles are now being adapted in the context of AI models and datasets, the session continues with a panel aimed at further exploring the role of FAIR data for AI and AI for FAIR data. The panel discussion will address questions such as:

  • Can FAIR data improve the understanding of the provenance of AI models?
  • Generative AI needs high-quality data: to what extent can FAIR metadata be useful for that?
  • Can AI support researchers and data practitioners to automatically produce FAIR data and/or metadata?

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

14:00-15:30 EOSC impact and opportunities on the infrastructure landscape

About this session

What is the impact of EOSC and specifically of the EOSC Federation on existing national infrastructures? This is one of the most frequently asked questions when discussing EOSC in different countries. In this session, representatives of different German infrastructures will reflect on the topic highlighting the challenges and opportunities that they see from their perspective. These introductory lightning talks will set the scene for a panel discussion that will include policy makers and infrastructure managers from different European countries. This session is jointly organised by the EOSC tripartite collaboration and NFDI, the German National Research Data Infrastructure.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

EOSC Tripartite collaboration, NFDI, and the German National Research Data Infrastructure

14:00-15:30 Closing of EOSC Symposium 2024

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Breakout sessions

11:00-12:30 Thematic contributions to EOSC

About this session

The session intends to collect a broad insight into the needs of scientific domains in order to stimulate necessary actions for smooth integration of their data services into the EOSC federation of connected nodes. Selected disciplines/domains cover the diversity of scientific communities in their readiness to develop and maintain an EOSC node. Domain-specific EOSC nodes will have different approaches and capabilities to operate services for their own community and, especially, beyond. These differences include technical aspects but also others, such as organizational and financial which may affect enrolment of these nodes or onboarding of services to the EOSC federation. This will in longer terms define the structure and evolution dynamics of the federation.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Watch session teaser

11:00-12:30 Deep dive into the EOSC EU Node

About this session

Join us for an in-depth session to learn from our panelists how the recently launched EOSC EU Node can support their multi-disciplinary and multi-national research workflows, as well as their visibility in the research community. Our distinguished panel includes representatives from both the research community and contributing organisations, sharing their use cases. Join us to get inspiration on how to use EOSC EU Node, as well as share your use cases and support us shape its evolution.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

Fay Meimaraki, OpenAIRE; and Spiros Athanasiou, ATHENA RC

Watch session teaser

11:00-12:30 ZBW Open Science session | Bringing Open Science into action: The role of educating young researchers

About this session

This session explores the important role of integrating Open Science into the training of early career researchers. It is essential not only to raise awareness of open science as such, but also to give good practices to researchers on how to apply them in their own field. Through the presentation of concrete examples, we will highlight innovative approaches and stimulate a discussion on practical strategies – in relation to, for example, Open Access, Open/FAIR Data, Open Research Software, and Open Educational Resources – with the aim of achieving Open Science Education.

Outcomes and key takeaways

Check back later for updates

Session organisers

Guido Scherp, ZBW; Tamara Heck, DIPF; and Verena Weimer, DIPF

Watch session teaser

Posters