EGI showcased leadership in innovation during the EOSC Winter School 2025 in Seville, supporting the development of the EOSC Federation.
The EOSC Winter School 2025 took place in Seville, Spain, from 20 to 23 January. Organised by the EOSC Association with support from the EOSC Focus project and other Horizon Europe EOSC-related initiatives, the event aimed to harmonise efforts and strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders within the EOSC community.
This year's programme was structured around four Strategic Pillars, as outlined in the EOSC Multi-Annual Roadmap (MAR) for 2026–2027:
- Sustaining and enhancing the EOSC Federation
- Contributing to the web of FAIR data and fostering AI uptake
- Ensuring research security and sovereignty
- Linking with other Common European Data Spaces and beyond
These pillars provided a framework for discussions and activities, ensuring alignment with EOSC's long-term vision.
EGI Foundation's Contributions
The EGI Foundation played a significant role in the Winter School, with team members actively participating in various sessions:
- Mark Dietrich contributed to discussions on sustaining and enhancing the EOSC Federation, focusing on the Green Deal Data Space and updates to the Federation Handbook.
- Nicola Fiore moderated sessions on processes for infrastructure and service providers to join the EOSC Federation and introduced the EOSC Beyond Innovation Sandbox for integration with the EU Node and pilot Nodes.
- Sebastian Luna-Valero showcased the deployment of Galaxy and Pulsar on the EOSC EU Node in the context of EuroScienceGateway, highlighting its impact on advancing computational workflows within the EOSC ecosystem. Watch the demonstration here.
- Diego Scardaci, leading the User and Resource Environments track, presented key developments in the EOSC Beyond Concept Paper and the Federation Handbook, providing insights into the future of the EOSC Federation.
Focus Areas and Outcomes
The Winter School addressed several critical areas to advance the EOSC initiative:
Strategic Alignment: Revisiting medium- and long-term objectives set during the 2024 event to ensure the impact of Horizon Europe EOSC-related project outcomes on EOSC and the EOSC Federation.
Collaboration Across Pillars: Facilitating discussions among the EOSC Opportunity Area Expert Groups and the EOSC-A Task Forces to align their work with the Strategic Pillars, promoting synergies across the EOSC community.
Practical Applications: Demonstrating tools and workflows, such as the Innovation Sandbox and Pulsar deployment, to promote integration and usability within the EOSC Federation.
Key Contributions to the Pillars
EGI's involvement spanned all four Strategic Pillars:
- Enhancing the Federation: Supporting the refinement of the Federation Handbook to streamline pathways for new members and services.
- FAIR Data and AI: Showcasing advanced workflows that integrate FAIR principles with AI-driven computational approaches.
- Research Security and Sovereignty: Contributing to discussions on secure and sustainable research infrastructure within EOSC.
- Interconnections: Presenting tools and methodologies that link EOSC efforts with other European Data Spaces, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
An Eventful 2025 for EOSC
The EOSC Winter School 2025 reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in achieving the EOSC vision. Key takeaways include strengthening the technical and operational framework for the EOSC Federation, continuing efforts to align project deliverables with strategic goals for sustainability and impact, and leveraging platforms like the Winter School to bridge gaps between stakeholders and foster innovation. The next major community gathering is the EOSC Symposium 2025, which will take place in Brussels from 3-5 November.
The EGI Foundation remains committed to advancing EOSC's mission by contributing to its technical, strategic, and operational goals. Events like the Winter School are critical in uniting stakeholders and driving actionable outcomes for the EOSC Federation.
To learn more about EGI's contributions to EOSC, visit EGI for EOSC.
