Contributing to the EOSC Federation: EGI Discussion Paper
EGI has recently published a discussion paper on its contribution to the EOSC Federation.
EGI has been supporting and implementing a vision for Open Science Commons since 2015. EGI Federation members and scientific communities contribute to Open Science by enabling and utilising transnational and cross-domain access to compute and storage facilities, research data, and scientific tools. This is a collaborative effort of the EGI participants and international research communities that participate in the EGI infrastructure or deploy it to support data-intensive science. EGI Federation relies on the technical and human capabilities of its federation members, who together comprise a global network of data centres.
Applying the EGI model to Open Science processes unlocks two key benefits. Firstly, EGI Federation democratises access to high-end computing facilities, research objects and data analytics tools previously difficult or impossible to access. Secondly, the distributed approach ensures clear and non-discriminatory access rules, fostering a spirit of solidarity within the research community. This aligns well with the Global Open Research Commons principles defined by RDA.
EGI recognises EOSC as the European initiative to support the implementation of the Global Open Research Commons across Europe, leveraging the capabilities of Research Infrastructures, e-infrastructures, and other EOSC stakeholders at the national, regional, and European levels, says EGI Director Tiziana Ferrari.
Within EOSC, the EOSC Federation aims to partner with Research Infrastructures and data providers to increasingly facilitate the discovery and access of data and services for research and innovation across Europe.
The EGI Federation is committed to providing essential services and resources to European researchers. The Federation will focus on specific areas, including:
- EGI as an EOSC Node: EGI will offer its existing infrastructure as a distributed EOSC Node, giving researchers access to compute and storage capacity across Europe.
- Focus on data valorisation: EGI will collaborate with data holders to promote the reuse of research data for new discoveries.
- Integration with EOSC Core: EGI will continue to participate in developing the EOSC Core, which provides essential services for EOSC.
- AI for research: EGI is developing new AI-based services to support researchers in all stages of the data lifecycle, from data discovery to analysis.
- Co-investment by EU and Member States: EGI calls for co-investment by the EU and Member States to ensure the long-term sustainability of EOSC.
This contribution by EGI to EOSC is expected to empower researchers with advanced computing capabilities and AI tools, ultimately leading to more scientific discoveries and innovation.