Expanding and deepening the EOSC Federation (EOSC Partnership)

The HORIZON-INFRA opportunity focuses on expanding and deepening the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Federation, intended for research and digital infrastructure organizations. Eligible applicants include research infrastructure operators, universities, and service providers engaged with EOSC Nodes or onboarding resources to the EOSC Federation. The opportunity aims to enhance geographical and thematic diversity within participating communities, particularly targeting regions and organizations currently underrepresented in the EOSC Federation. The funding mechanism is structured as cascading grants within the Horizon Europe Cofund Action framework, where beneficiaries can distribute funds to third parties via joint calls, limited to €2 million per individual grant. The funding rate is set at 50% of eligible costs, necessitating co-funding from both beneficiaries and third parties, highlighting the importance of European added value in these activities. A single lead beneficiary is required to coordinate the overall project, while working in collaboration with a consortium to implement joint calls. The initiative emphasizes close coordination with existing EOSC projects and aims for improved cross-border access to open science resources for approximately €2 millionEuropean researchers. The call covers operational, demonstration, and consolidation stages of EOSC infrastructure development, focusing on sustainable service provision, resource management, and equitable access for diverse research communities. The total funding available for this opportunity is €40 million, with a single grant anticipated to be awarded. The application process is a single-stage electronic submission due by June 15, 2027, with an opening date of March 9, 2027. The opportunity emphasizes fair data management, interdisciplinary support, and the establishment of user access to integrated digital services, facilitating enhanced collaboration across the research landscape. Proposals must demonstrate readiness for immediate service implementation and must comply with EOSC policies and governance structures. Applications are open to EU member states, Horizon Europe-associated countries, and potentially non-associated countries under specified provisions. Projects must ensure sustainability beyond the funding duration, aligning with long-term operational models to support digital tool and service management within the EOSC ecosystem. The details highlight the operational framework for advancing research capabilities through enhanced digital infrastructure and open science practices in Europe.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call for proposals under the Research Infrastructures 2027 program (HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01) focusing on expanding and deepening the EOSC Federation (European Open Science Cloud Partnership). The call aims to establish a Federation-wide mechanism for providing seamless access to digital services for researchers, supporting the sustained provision of these services, and enlarging the EOSC Federation by expanding Nodes.

The expected outcomes of the projects are:

1. The EOSC Federation provides to EOSC users with state-of-the-art digital services addressing their needs to store, process and share data, run software, models and workflows, and collaborate with their peers.

2. Research and digital infrastructures and other organisations providing scientific services are equipped with appropriate structures and technical, legal and coordination mechanisms to onboard, manage and sustainably operate digital tools and services in the EOSC Federation.

3. Investments across Europe in the provision of FAIR scientific data and services within EOSC are more aligned and coordinated, achieving economies of scale and more efficient use of digital resources.

The scope of the call is to address the need for researchers to access a broad range of digital services (data storage, computing, applications, collaboration tools) which are often cost-intensive and restricted. The EOSC Federation aims to provide a trusted, sovereign, and secure environment for European researchers to use high-quality, FAIR research data and run research workflows, emphasizing cross-disciplinary and cross-country collaboration.

Proposals should cover the following activities:

1. Provide seamless, user-friendly access to EOSC users to digital services for typical research workflows through a fully integrated EOSC Federation-wide system. This includes:

* Gathering requirements and analysing needs of researchers and EOSC users.

* Supporting the development and embedding of a Federation-wide resource management and accounting system.

* Providing access to EOSC users based on their needs, using a Federation-wide resource management and accounting system and harmonised access policies.

* Upgrading the EOSC user experience through deep, back-end, cross-provider integration of key digital services.

* Developing, testing, and demonstrating business models for the effective management and sustainable provision of services.

* Developing guidelines to facilitate a harmonised approach to the acquisition and provision of services that supports research data sovereignty and research security in Europe.

* Establishing mechanisms for continuous feedback and improvement, including indicators for monitoring service quality and usage.

2. Support the broadening, integration, and structuring of the participation of research communities in the EOSC Federation through:

* Developing intra-Node coordination mechanisms and organisational models.

* Developing and using digital capabilities and harmonised legal arrangements for onboarding and sustainably provisioning communities’ services through EOSC Nodes.

* Broadening organisations’ engagement with and contribution to the EOSC Federation, including underrepresented thematic research communities or geographic areas.

Proposals should implement activities through joint calls that provide grants to third parties. These calls should be open to organisations participating or interested in participating in the EOSC Federation, either by operating an EOSC Node or by onboarding their resources. Proposed activities should be driven by current gaps and needs of scientific communities, digital infrastructures, and service providers.

The activities must comply with and contribute to the continuous update and upgrade of related EOSC Federation policies and standards, including technical and interoperability standards, open standards, harmonised access and use policies, and cybersecurity. Proposals should include a robust plan for the long-term, sustained operation of services beyond the project's duration.

For providing access to digital services by third parties funded under joint calls, proposals should include a list of supported digital services. Third parties should identify specific services, the amount of access provided, and allocate budget according to user demand, using the Federation-wide resource management and accounting system. These third parties should also fulfil conditions described in the ‘Virtual Access Activities’ part of the ‘Specific Features for Research Infrastructures’ section of the Work Programme, concerning publicity, access costs, and access criteria.

Projects are encouraged to explore synergies with relevant EU initiatives such as EuroHPC and cooperate with other relevant projects contributing to the development of the EOSC Federation.

The following general conditions apply:

1. Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

2. Eligible Countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

3. Other Eligible Conditions:Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5. Evaluation and award:

* Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

* Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The ‘Impact’ criterion will consider the coordination efforts and resources with other relevant projects and the EOSC governance structure.

* Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants:

* Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties, with a maximum amount of €2.00 million per third party.

* The funding rate is 50% of the eligible costs.

* At least 20% of the total financial support to third parties must be open to entities eligible for funding as described in the General Annex B, without geographic restrictions.

* Beneficiaries will be subject to additional access rights, including granting royalty-free access to results and intellectual property rights to the EOSC Association and legal entities identified by the granting authority.

The following table outlines the budget and key dates for the different topics within this call:

Topic Budget (EUR) - Year:2027 Stages Opening date Deadline Contributions Indicative number of grants

HORIZON-INFRA - HORIZON-COFUND 40,000,000 Single-stage 09/03/2027 15/06/2027 around 40000000 HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-EOSC-02 - HORIZON-CSA 8,000,000 Single-stage 09/03/2027 15/06/2027 2500000 to 4000000

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are organizations that participate or are interested to participate in the EOSC Federation either by operating an EOSC Node or by onboarding their identified resources to the EOSC Federation. This includes research infrastructures, digital infrastructures, service providers, and other organizations providing scientific services. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible, subject to specific provisions as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). Beneficiaries may also provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity requires multiple organizations to seamlessly offer digital services, implying a consortium approach. The enlargement of the EOSC Federation by supporting the expansion of Nodes also suggests a collaborative effort.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States, countries associated with the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries, subject to specific provisions outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector:The program targets the research infrastructure sector, specifically focusing on the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Federation. It aims to enhance digital services for researchers, including data storage, computing, applications, and collaboration tools. The thematic areas include ICT, research, science, digital infrastructure, and cybersecurity.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may be eligible for funding under specific provisions.

Project Stage:The expected maturity of the project is advanced, focusing on the integration, operation, and sustained provision of digital services within the EOSC Federation. This includes activities such as gathering requirements, developing resource management systems, providing access to services, upgrading user experience, and developing business models for long-term sustainability.

Funding Amount:The funding ranges vary depending on the specific action type:

HORIZON-COFUND:around €40,000,000

HORIZON-CSA:€2,500,000 to €4,000,000

HORIZON-RIA (DEV):€2,000,000 to €5,000,000 or €3,000,000 to €4,500,000

HORIZON-RIA (SERV):around €6,000,000 or around €35,000,000 or around €3,000,000

HORIZON-RIA (TECH):€7,000,000 to €12,000,000 or €10,000,000 to €15,000,000

Application Type:The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. Additionally, the opportunity facilitates access to digital services and resources within the EOSC Federation.

Application Stages:The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate.

Co-funding Requirement:The funding rate is 50% of the eligible costs, implying a co-funding requirement from the applicant or other parties.

This opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the Research Infrastructures call. It aims to expand and deepen the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Federation. The EOSC Federation seeks to provide researchers with a trusted and secure environment to access high-quality, FAIR research data and digital services, fostering cross-disciplinary and cross-country collaboration. The funding is intended to support the seamless integration of digital services, broaden participation in the EOSC Federation, and ensure the long-term sustainability of these services. Eligible organizations include research infrastructures, digital infrastructures, service providers, and other entities interested in contributing to the EOSC Federation. The application process involves a single-stage submission, and successful projects will receive grants to implement their proposed activities. The funding rate is 50% of eligible costs, indicating a co-funding requirement. This initiative is crucial for advancing open science practices and enhancing the research capabilities of European researchers.