EOSC-SIESTA project took part in the fifth annual coordination meeting of EOSC projects, held in Brussels on 8 and 9 July hosted by the European Commission, represented by DG for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), DG for Communications Networks Content and Technology (DG CNECT), and the European Research Executive Agency (REA). SIESTA joined 33 other Horizon Europe-funded projects, 34 in total, to review the state of the European Open Science Cloud and support the direction of its next phase of development.
The meeting was built around three main objectives: to deepen collaboration between EOSC projects, the EOSC Association and the European Commission under the EOSC Partnership and its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA); to update participants on contributions towards the SRIA’s strategic and operational goals; and to review progress on the EOSC Federation build-up and the next steps for sharing FAIR data and services across borders and disciplines. A key aim throughout was to strengthen the Partnership by connecting established projects with the newly funded initiatives from the 2025 call.
The meeting also brought together, for the first time, the 13 projects funded under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, which will contribute new ideas, strengthen research communities and explore future solutions for EOSC in areas including artificial intelligence, skills and training, and the further development of the Federation.
During one of the sessions, Álvaro López García and Judith Sáinz-Pardo Díaz presented, on behalf of SIESTA, a success story on scaling cross-project collaboration between AI4EOSC, SIESTA and TITAN, illustrating how coordinated work between projects can strengthen the EOSC ecosystem.
EOSC is the Common European Data Space for research and innovation, a key part of the European Research Area and an important instrument for improving access to and reuse of research data, services and digital resources across Europe. As a trusted, secure and sovereign research data ecosystem, it also contributes to Europe’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty. The European Commission’s commitment to EOSC remains strong: under Horizon Europe, it is investing around €500 million, including support for the EOSC EU Node and around 50 projects, with further projects planned under the 2026 and 2027 Work Programmes. Its proposal for Horizon Europe 2028–2034 foresees continued support for the FAIR agenda and for the further expansion and consolidation of EOSC.
As EOSC grows and the environment becomes more complex, close cooperation remains essential to ensure coherence and inclusiveness. The meeting in Brussels highlighted the shared commitment of all participants to work together in advancing EOSC for Europe’s research community.