EOSC-Pillar · Project

One-Stop Access to Research Data Services Across Five European Countries

digitalPilotedTRL 6Thin data (2/5)

Imagine every country in Europe has its own library system, but none of them talk to each other — so finding a book across borders is a nightmare. EOSC-Pillar connected the research data "libraries" of Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Belgium into one federated system. They built a registry where you can discover and access research services across all five countries, and tested it with real scientists in 7 different fields. The goal is making European research data as easy to find and use as searching Google — but for science.

By the numbers

European countries federated (AT, BE, DE, FR, IT)

partner organizations in the consortium

scientific domains tested with user-driven pilots

EUR 6,880,965

EU funding for infrastructure development

total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

European research data is scattered across national systems that don't talk to each other. A company or institution needing to access scientific services or datasets from multiple countries faces different policies, standards, and discovery tools in each one. This fragmentation wastes time, increases costs, and limits the value companies can extract from publicly funded research.

The solution

What was built

The project built a working National Service Registry Prototype with complete access policies, role definitions, and registration rules for discovering research services across borders. They also delivered a working demonstrator with success stories from user-driven pilots across 7 scientific domains, plus 30 total deliverables covering policy alignment, FAIR data practices, and federation standards.

Audience

Who needs this

Cloud platform providers wanting to serve European research institutionsResearch data management software companies building FAIR-compliant toolsPharmaceutical and biotech R&D departments accessing cross-border research dataNational research funding agencies coordinating open science policiesUniversity IT departments managing research data infrastructure

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Cloud and Data Services

enterprise

Target: Cloud platform providers or data management companies serving research institutions

If you are a cloud service provider looking to serve European research institutions — this project built a National Service Registry Prototype with access policies, roles, and registration rules that define how services get listed and discovered across 5 countries. Aligning your platform with these standards could open doors to 20+ research organizations already in the network.

Research Data Management Software

SME

Target: Companies building FAIR-compliant data tools or repository platforms

If you are a software company building research data management tools — this project tested FAIR data practices across 7 scientific domains with 20 partners. The demonstrator and success stories show what works in practice. Adopting the standards and interoperability patterns they validated could make your product compatible with the growing European Open Science Cloud ecosystem.

Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

enterprise

Target: R&D departments at pharma or biotech firms needing cross-border research data

If you are a pharmaceutical company running R&D that depends on accessing research datasets across European borders — this project created a federated model that lets you discover and access scientific services from Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Belgium through common policies and shared standards. This means less time negotiating data access country by country.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to use or integrate with the services developed?

The project was publicly funded with EUR 6,880,965 in EU contribution and focused on open science infrastructure. The registry prototype and federated services are designed for open access. Commercial integration costs would depend on your specific use case and the partner organizations involved.

Can these services scale to handle enterprise-level data volumes?

The project federated national initiatives across 5 countries (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium) with 20 partner organizations, including major research networks like GARR. The architecture was designed to be scalable and sustainable, built on top of existing national-level infrastructure that already handles large research data volumes.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

This was a publicly funded Research and Innovation Action (RIA). The tools, standards, and registry prototype were developed as open science infrastructure. Based on available project data, outputs follow open access principles consistent with EOSC policies, but specific licensing terms should be confirmed with the coordinator.

How mature is the technology — is it ready to deploy?

The project delivered a working National Service Registry Prototype with complete access policies and registration rules. They also produced a working demonstrator with success stories from real use cases across 7 scientific domains. This puts the technology at a piloted stage with proven real-world application.

How does this integrate with existing IT systems?

EOSC-Pillar was specifically designed to federate existing national data infrastructures rather than replace them. The approach connects what countries already have through common policies, shared standards, and technical interoperability. This means integration builds on your existing research infrastructure rather than requiring a full replacement.

Which countries and domains are covered?

The project covers 5 countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, and Italy. It was tested across 7 scientific domains through user-driven pilots. The model was explicitly designed to be rolled out to other countries beyond the initial five.

Consortium

Who built it

The consortium of 20 partners across 5 countries is heavily research-oriented, with 13 research organizations forming the backbone — this is infrastructure built by the people who actually run national research networks. The 3 universities add academic credibility and domain expertise. With only 2 industry partners (10% ratio) and 2 SMEs, this is clearly a public-infrastructure play rather than a commercial venture. The coordinator, Consortium GARR, is Italy's national research and education network — a major infrastructure operator. For a business looking to partner, the key contacts are the national initiative leaders in each country who control access to their respective research ecosystems.

CONSORTIUM GARRCoordinator · IT
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUEparticipant · FR
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITEIT GENTparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITAT WIENparticipant · AT
TRUST-IT SERVICES SRLparticipant · IT
DEUTSCHES KLIMARECHENZENTRUM GMBHparticipant · DE
GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNGparticipant · DE
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEparticipant · IT
KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIEparticipant · DE
COMMPLA SRLthirdparty · IT
INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE RECHERCHE POUR L'EXPLOITATION DE LA MERparticipant · FR
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENTparticipant · FR
FONDAZIONE CENTRO EURO-MEDITERRANEOSUI CAMBIAMENTI CLIMATICIparticipant · IT
CINECA CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIOparticipant · IT
INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENTthirdparty · FR
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSparticipant · FR
CENTRE INFORMATIQUE NATIONAL DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEURparticipant · FR
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEAREparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

Coordinator is Consortium GARR (Italy), the national research and education network operator. Look for the EOSC-Pillar project lead or national initiative contacts through the project website.

Order a report on this consortium See CONSORTIUM GARR profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how EOSC-Pillar's federated data services or registry standards could benefit your organization? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partners and help you navigate integration options.

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