Building bridges in the EOSC Federation
With the EU project ‘EOSC Gravity,’ Switch is involved in the long-term coordination and strategic development of EOSC. As a foundation of Swiss universities, Switch plays a role that goes beyond technical solutions – and brings the European research community closer together.
What is EOSC Gravity?
The Horizon Europe project EOSC Gravity focuses on the sustainable development of EOSC beyond 2027. At its core, it is about making it easier for European research institutions to exchange dates and resources, to collaborate and to benefit from each other. To make this possible, the EOSC federation is being created. It is composed of several EOSC nodes which are interconnected. An EOSC node gives researchers access to resources, such as services, scientific date, digital tools and computing power.
EOSC gravity approach: The Power of E4 – Evolve, Enable, Enhance and Empower
The project pursues four key approaches for the long-term strengthening of the EOSC federation and thus of European research cooperation:
Empower: Increased visibility and active stakeholder involvement.
The long-term strengthening of the EOSC requires the broad involvement of all relevant actors from the research landscape. Targeted communication and information formats are used to systematically inform important stakeholder groups and motivate them to take an active part. The strategic focus on the specific needs of researchers and the dissemination of success and impact stories create trust and demonstrate the practical benefits of the EOSC for the scientific community.
Enhance: Harmonisation and sustainability of existing EOSC initiatives.
The large number of existing EOSC-related projects requires strategic coordination in order to create synergies and avoid duplication of work. INFRAEOSC projects are supported to assume their specific roles and to work closely with the EOSC-A Task Forces. Contributing to the EOSC Macro-Roadmap will ensure that all initiatives are geared towards common objectives and that their results remain usable in the long term.
Enabler Overcoming differences in development.
A key concern is to support countries that are less advanced in implementing open science structures. Through new EOSC coordination mechanisms and targeted knowledge sharing, all European partners should be actively involved in the development process. This coordination is accompanied by continuous monitoring and systematic impact assessment to ensure that no region is left behind.
Evolve: Development of a functioning EOSC federation.
The basis for a successful EOSC is the systematic development of a stable network of national and thematic nodes. The aim is to establish a governance framework comprising at least ten countries with their own EOSC nodes and five thematic nodes of research infrastructures. At the same time, funding models must be developed that allow researchers seamless access to scientific date and services across Europe.
The role of Switch
With EOSC Gravity, Switch participates in the long-term coordination and strategic development of EOSC. As a foundation of Swiss universities, Switch plays a role that goes beyond technical solutions – and brings the European research community closer together.
Switch will take over the leadership of work package 8, which is dedicated to the strategic management and support of the task forces. These task forces bring together expertise from across Europe and contribute to the strategic development of EOSC. Switch provides support in the following areas, amongst others:
- Evaluation of previous task forces
- Support of the EOSC Association Board in coordination
- Development of new strategic framework conditions
- Ensuring that the results are incorporated into key documents such as the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda and the Multiannual Roadmap
Relevance for Switzerland
By participating in EOSC Gravity, Switch strengthens Switzerland’s position in the European Research Area. Thanks to its neutral role as a foundation for Swiss universities, Switch can build important bridges between institutions – within Switzerland and beyond.
Universities in particular benefit from this. You will receive:
- direct insight into the development phase of the node federation and early information on new developments,
- new opportunities for collaboration and a strengthened network in the European science system;
- active participation in the development of strategic background documents that have an impact on the future research landscape and
- simplified access to research data and infrastructures through the coordinated development of the node federation.
Strategic importance and future prospects
EOSC Gravity is a coordinated and community-oriented project of strategic importance. It consolidates the governance mechanisms and organisational framework of the EOSC Association and thus strengthens the entire federation of EOSC nodes and partners. It bundles expertise, creates synergies and establishes sustainable spaces for cooperation. With its institutional anchoring in the Swiss higher education system and its role as an impartial actor, Switch contributes to ensuring that Switzerland can sustainably consolidate its leading position in the European Research Area. In the medium term, this will create the necessary information bases, networks and scope for action to support Swiss universities in their connection to the emerging EOSC federation. This includes providing own resources, using resources from other institutions and setting up EOSC nodes.
