Get to know the exhibitors at EGI2024 in this series of interviews, and meet us in Lecce, Italy from 1-3 October! Today, let's discover Blue-Cloud 2026.

Can you explain what Blue-Cloud 2026 does?

Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, Blue-Cloud 2026 aims at a further evolution of this pilot ecosystem into a Federated European Ecosystem to deliver FAIR & Open data and analytical services, instrumental for deepening research of oceans, EU seas, coastal & inland waters. It develops a thematic marine extension to EOSC for open web-based science, in support of the EU Green Deal, UN Sustainable Development Goals, the EU Destination Earth initiative, and the EU Mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030”.

What is the relationship with EGI?

The Blue-Cloud 2026 Project collaborates closely with EGI, leveraging its expertise to drive key tasks across multiple work packages. EGI leads the task on “Blue-Cloud VRE interaction with EOSC projects” under Work Package 5, ensuring seamless integration with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). EGI also contributes significantly to various other tasks, including the development and deployment of sub-setting services for the Blue-Cloud Data Lake, and the Digital Twin for Ocean (DTO) Taskforce for aligning Blue-Cloud data lakes with DTO developments). Their role extends to evolving and expanding the Blue-Cloud VRE’s common services and infrastructure federation, as well as ensuring interoperation with EOSC core services. This strong partnership reinforces the project's mission to enhance cloud-based services for marine research and beyond.

Why do you think it’s important to be at EGI2024?

To enhance collaboration in marine data science and strengthen its connection with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The conference provides an opportunity to showcase Blue-Cloud's role in advancing FAIR data principles and open science within marine research. By aligning with the latest innovations in distributed computing and federated infrastructures, Blue-Cloud 2026 can further its mission to support the EU Blue Economy and contribute to global sustainability efforts.

What can people expect when they come to your booth?

Blue-Cloud 2026 will showcase its advanced marine data services, including the Data Discovery and Access Service (DD&AS), which facilitates seamless access to diverse marine datasets. Visitors will see how Blue-Cloud 2026 integrates these resources with powerful computational tools, enabling the creation of high-quality FAIR data. By demonstrating how researchers across domains can access and analyse data within its virtual research environment, we’ll highlight how Blue-Cloud 2026 advances interdisciplinary collaboration and supports sustainable ocean management in line with the EU's Blue Economy goals.

Can delegates see Blue-Cloud 2026 in other sessions/demonstrations/workshops/posters?

Blue-Cloud2026 team at the poster-pitch sessions on the developments of Beacon around the DDAS and its implications and use for the Workbenches, and the Virtual Research Environment.