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EOSC-synergy · Project

A Unified Cloud Platform Connecting Research Data Across 9 European Countries

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eosc-synergy.eu

Imagine every country in Europe has its own filing cabinet full of valuable research data — environmental measurements, climate models, life science datasets — but none of the cabinets talk to each other. EOSC-synergy built the connectors so that researchers and businesses in 9 countries can search, access, and use each other's scientific data through one shared cloud. They also created quality checks to make sure the data and services plugged into this cloud actually work properly, plus an online training platform so people can learn how to use it all.

By the numbers
9
European countries with federated research infrastructure
21
consortium partner organizations
19
project deliverables produced
4
thematic domains covered (Environment, Climate Change, Earth Observation, Life Sciences)
1
industry partner in the consortium
The business problem

What needed solving

Companies working with environmental, climate, or life science data often need to access research datasets and computing resources scattered across multiple European countries, each with different access policies and technical standards. Getting this data means navigating a maze of national systems, formats, and bureaucratic processes — wasting time and limiting the scope of analysis.

The solution

What was built

The project built a first prototype of federated EOSC Thematic Services with an architecture and roadmap, along with 19 total deliverables including quality-driven service integration tools, a training platform for EOSC skills development, and policy harmonization across 9 countries for federating compute, storage, and data resources.

Audience

Who needs this

Environmental data analytics firms needing cross-border climate and earth observation dataLife sciences companies requiring federated access to distributed biological datasetsResearch cloud providers wanting to serve the European Open Science Cloud marketGovernment agencies managing national research e-InfrastructuresTechnology companies building FAIR-compliant data platforms
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Environmental consulting
mid-size
Target: Environmental data analytics firms

If you are an environmental consultancy struggling to pull together climate, earth observation, and ecological datasets from multiple national sources — this project built federated cloud services across 9 countries that make cross-border environmental data accessible through a single platform. Instead of negotiating access country by country, you could tap into harmonized datasets covering environment, climate change, and earth observation.

Life sciences & pharma
enterprise
Target: Contract research organizations and biotech companies

If you are a life sciences company that needs to access biological and health research data scattered across European institutions — this project opened national thematic services to European-wide access, specifically in life sciences. The federated compute and storage resources mean you could run analyses on distributed datasets without moving sensitive data across borders.

Cloud & IT infrastructure
any
Target: Research cloud service providers and NRENs

If you are a cloud infrastructure provider looking to serve the research sector — this project developed quality-driven service integration standards and a software lifecycle management approach for federated cloud services. With 21 partners across 9 countries already using these standards, adopting them positions your services for the growing European Open Science Cloud market.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost a company to access or use these federated services?

Based on available project data, pricing details are not specified. EOSC-synergy focused on building the infrastructure layer and harmonizing policies across 9 countries. Access models would likely depend on the specific national e-Infrastructure provider and EOSC marketplace terms.

Can these services handle enterprise-scale workloads?

The project federated compute, storage, and data resources across 9 countries with 21 partner organizations. While this indicates significant infrastructure scale, the project was a Research and Innovation Action focused on prototyping thematic services rather than production-grade enterprise deployment.

What is the IP situation — can we license or commercialize any of this?

As a publicly funded RIA project, outputs are generally open. The quality-driven service integration methodology and training platform were designed for the EOSC ecosystem. Companies could adopt the standards and tools but would need to verify specific licensing terms with the consortium led by CSIC in Spain.

Which thematic areas does the platform actually cover?

Based on the project objective, the platform covers Environment, Climate Change, Earth Observation, and Life Sciences. These are the four domains where national thematic services were opened to European-wide access through the EOSC federation.

Is this still operational after the project ended in October 2022?

The project closed in October 2022. Services developed were designed to integrate into the broader European Open Science Cloud ecosystem, which continues to grow. Sustainability of individual thematic services depends on the national organizations that host them.

How does this comply with EU data regulations and FAIR principles?

The project explicitly aligned its federated resources with EOSC and FAIR policies and practices — meaning data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. This built-in compliance is relevant for companies needing regulatory-ready research data access.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily research-driven consortium with 21 partners across 9 countries, but only 1 industry partner (5% industry ratio) and zero SMEs. The bulk of the work sits with 10 research organizations and 6 universities, coordinated by Spain's national research council (CSIC). For a business looking at this technology, the near-absence of commercial partners means the outputs are designed for the research community first — any company wanting to build on this would likely need to invest in adapting the tools and services for commercial use cases.

How to reach the team

The coordinator is CSIC (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas) in Spain. SciTransfer can help identify the right contact person.

Order a report on this consortiumSee AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how European federated research data could benefit your business? SciTransfer can connect you with the right team members from this consortium.

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