What are the next steps?
Various operational details still need to be confirmed, particularly regarding the specific services that COSI could offer universities. These details will be finalised by the steering committee of the ‘Scientific Information’ programme by the end of June 2019.
What is your view of the cooperation with SWITCH?
SWITCH has been involved in working out the detailed concept since February 2018. COSI extends the SWITCH mandate by including scientific information services. So far, cooperation has progressed on a very firm footing.
How do you see COSI in 3 or 4 years’ time?
COSI will function as the coordinating body for scientific information services for the entire higher-education community in Switzerland. The task of ‘supporting strategic coordination’ for scientific information and Open Science services, as envisaged, will have an impact on all SWITCH activities. This means that COSI will be able to reinforce collaboration and the respective positions of SWITCH and swissuniversities. I also hope to see a large majority of P5 projects come to fruition under the COSI label, which will consolidate the initiative’s success.
What EU developments and projects do you think will have an impact on COSI?
Firstly, there’s the European Open Science Cloud, and then, more generally, the roadmaps for research infrastructures at the Swiss and European levels (ESFRI).
What other topics are you working on at swissuniversities?
Some of the subjects that the rectors would like to address jointly within swissuniversities are part of programmes that are co-financed by SERI. The current scientific information programme that I coordinate is certainly one of these, as is the upcoming Open Science programme for the 2021-2024 period, which is in development. There is also, for example, the new ‘Digital Skills’ programme that has just been launched.
What are your aspirations for SWITCH?
I hope that its strategic transition to scientific information goes well and that COSI can help in this transition. Furthermore, in terms of interoperability and international collaboration, I expect SWITCH will maintain and develop its international network and become an international centre of reference for scientific information services. This will help promote COSI’s complete portfolio of services beyond Switzerland.
