The EOSC Association signed an agreement with the European Commission on June 23. In this agreement, the Commission undertakes to release an amount of EUR 490 million for the development of the EOSC (European Open Science Cloud). The agreement is therefore one of the first official partnerships in Europe.
The EOSC is an important part of the implementation of the Open Science policy of the European Commission and aims to set up a web of 'FAIR' data (findable, accessible, exchangeable and reusable data). In this way, the EOSC should facilitate interdisciplinary research and lead to new scientific insights that benefit European society.
The governance of the newly formed partnership is in the hands of three parties: the European Commission, the EOSC Association and the Member States of the European Union. This model should help to achieve a coordinated approach to investments and initiatives in the EOSC ecosystem.
Belnet as a mandated organisation
Belgium is also one of the participating member states. Belnet was appointed last year as the Belgian mandated organisation of the EOSC Association. Through its mandate, Belnet will exert a direct influence on the strategic direction of the EOSC.
The crucial importance of Open Science and interdisciplinary research was once again demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid and concerted response of the European research community in the implementation of the European COVID-19 data platform has enabled scientists to share data and analyses. This speeds up research into the coronavirus and shows how FAIR data can work in practice.