In this insightful interview, João Mendes Moreira, Director of the Scientific Information Area at the Digital Services unit (FCCN) of Portugal’s Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), shares his perspectives on Portugal’s role in the EOSC Association.
He discusses the strategic alignment of national initiatives with the broader goals of building EOSC, the challenges faced, and the significant progress made in promoting Open Science in Portugal. João Mendes Moreira also highlights the importance of collaboration, infrastructure development, and the commitment of Portuguese institutions to advancing Open Science practices.
Conducted by Kaori Otsu (CREAF) and Isabel Caetano (EOSC-A), this interview is part of a series coordinated by the EOSC Focus project, in which we highlight the role of EOSC-A Mandated Organisations, and showcase their activities aimed at the implementation of EOSC.
What is the role of your organisation in the EOSC Association?
I work at the Scientific Information Area and Digital Services unit (FCCN) of Portugal’s national funding agency, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). My primary role involves coordinating national programmes related to Open Science initiatives (CoNOSC) and managing research information systems (PTCRIS). I am also the national point of contact for the EOSC Association, facilitating the integration of national resources and infrastructures.
What are your main motivations for being a member of EOSC-A?
We aim to align our strategy and goals with those of the EOSC Association. This is of particular importance as we are accountable for managing the triad of national e-infrastructures and their relation to European peers in the area of data (POLEN, EOSC, OpenAIRE, EUDAT), networks (RCTS and GEANT), and supercomputing (CNCA, EuroHPC, BSC, and EGI), as shown in the figure below. Our objectives include enhancing data-sharing infrastructure, promoting Open Science, and fostering collaboration with other European countries and organisations.
National e-infrastructures of Portugal and their relation to European actors
How are your organisation’s strategy and goals aligned with those of the EOSC Association?
Our strategy and organisational goals align in several ways. We aim to build and enhance the infrastructure necessary for data sharing, computation and storage, and collaborate closely with other European countries and organisations to harmonise policies and federate national research infrastructures. In addition, we promote Open Science, make research data more accessible, and offer trainings to develop skills and competencies related to Open Science. Last but not least, FCT is responsible for the development and implementation of Open Science policies.
Which engagement activities have you implemented to increase community representation?
We regularly gather national stakeholders to disseminate information about the development of EOSC, and share opportunities for engagement. In 2016, a national forum for Research Data Management (GDI) was established by the community. This forum meets annually and has task forces that support engagement activities at national events.
Do you have a coordination mechanism in place?
Currently, FCT oversees basic coordination activities. However, we are exploring a multi-stakeholder approach, that includes a national consortium of stakeholders, research and funding institutions, service and e-infrastructure providers, competence centres, and other national and international stakeholders, including actors from the EOSC ecosystem. The image below illustrates our thoughts on this matter.
FCT’s multi-stakeholder approach to coordination activities
Could you identify relevant national policies for Open Science and EOSC?
FCT recently released a new version of the open access policy. Portugal has been at the forefront of Open Science initiatives, embracing a holistic and integrated approach that encompasses open access, research data, research assessment, open educational resources, and research information systems. These initiatives have been developed with a comprehensive vision, integrating policies, digital services, communication, dissemination, and training. For more information, please visit CoNOSC.
What resources are available to develop EOSC in Portugal? What is the level of commitment through financial and in-kind contributions?
The development of EOSC in Portugal is supported by institutions and research organisations that provide resources essential for implementing infrastructure, promoting Open Science, and ensuring sustainability. FCT, through FCCN, manages services and infrastructures that may be federated through EOSC, offers training, and develops skills in Open Science and FAIR data management. PID policies and architecture are implemented and enforced. Information about the development of EOSC is continuously disseminated to relevant communities and stakeholders. Portuguese universities and research institutions contribute both financially and in-kind, dedicating staff time, technical infrastructure, or expertise.
Could you highlight your country’s main strengths in the development of EOSC?
Portugal has made notable progress in developing EOSC, reflecting its commitment to Open Science, open innovation, and the digital transformation of science. From a central perspective, FCT and FCCN have played a crucial role in promoting EOSC within the scientific community by actively disseminating information about services available through the EOSC EU Node, rules of participation, and possibilities to get involved in EOSC-A Task Forces, and EOSC Opportunity Area Expert Groups. FCCN also focuses on infrastructure development, collaboration, accessibility, and training, while Portuguese thematic research infrastructures are working to align national services and resources.
Have you encountered any challenges?
The development of EOSC in Portugal presents several challenges, which are not only technical but also financial, cultural and organisational. For example, the lack of resources and infrastructures has been one of the limiting factors in participating in EOSC-related projects. There are also limitations in funding to ensure long-term sustainability of service providers, capacity building to enhance user competencies, and adoption by the scientific community to increase awareness of EOSC.
However, the recent grant awarded by the European Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) should enhance the national programme on Open Science, focusing on research data. This programme aims to deliver digital services and infrastructures to support the research life cycle, but also to enlarge the community and their competences related to research data. This will be achieved through the creation of national consortia and centres of expertise that were awarded funds through competitive calls.
Who are the key Portuguese actors relevant to tackling those challenges?
FCT has received 8.6 million euro from RRF, of which approximately 4 million euro will support a national consortium and 14 research data competence centres, operating locally at institutional or thematic levels. Our new National Center for Advanced Computing (CNCA) will take up the role of aggregating all computing resources and making them available in a meaningful way.
The University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte), a research-performing organisation, recently joined EOSC-A as a Member. In addition, Portuguese organisations are involved in four out of nine INFRAEOSC projects starting in 2025, i.e. CLIMATE-ADAPT4EOSC, DataGEMS, FAIR2Adapt, and Lumen. Such new opportunities will be key to success in demonstrating our use cases and service usability in the EOSC Federation of nodes.
What is your vision for EOSC post-2027 and how would you like to contribute to it?
Our vision for EOSC post-2027 is a fully-realised EOSC that fulfils its mission of providing resources and services that enable European scientists to store, share, and reuse research data. Our role is to ensure that our policies, infrastructures, and community are fully equipped to utilise EOSC at its maximum potential.
What do you believe is the next important step for Portugal?
I believe that a detailed analysis of use cases and the usability of EOSC is crucial to ensure that it can effectively address all stages of the research lifecycle. From the initial data management to dissemination and reuse, it is essential that EOSC offers intuitive and accessible tools that facilitate researchers’ work. Moreover, practical examples of how EOSC has been successfully used can serve as inspiration and guidance for the scientific community, encouraging broader and more efficient adoption of Open Science practices.
About João Mendes Moreira
João Mendes Moreira is the Director of the Scientific Information Area, Digital Services unit (FCCN) at Portugal’s Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). He has a degree in computer science. Over the past two decades, he has developed, directly or indirectly, activities in the area of advanced infrastructures and services for the research and education community.
This area’s main mission is to provide the national education and research community with access to recognised and prestigious scientific information sources (b-on initiative), to promote, support and facilitate open access to scientific production (Institutional Repositories, Scientific Journals and Research data) and facilitate the management and access to information on science and technology in Portugal (PTCRIS initiative).
Moreira has been a member of several committees and working groups, including the European Commission expert group on National Point of Reference on Scientific Information. He is the FCT delegate to the EOSC Association.
About Foundation for Science and Technology
Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) is a Portuguese public agency that supports science, technology and innovation in all scientific domains, under the responsibility of the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education. FCT was founded in 1997, succeeding the Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (JNICT). Since March 2012, FCT has coordinated public policies for the Information and Knowledge Society in Portugal, after the integration of the Knowledge Society Agency-UMIC. In October 2013, FCT took over the attributions and responsibilities of the Foundation for National Scientific Computation.
