Next generation services for operational and sustainable EOSC Core Infrastructure
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-04
- Programme
- Enabling an operational, open and FAIR EOSC ecosystem (2023)
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- December 5, 2022
- Deadline
- March 8, 2023
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €3,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €3,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €3,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-04HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01Artificial intelligenceCloud ServicesDigital serviceseInfrastructure
Description
Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
- Next generation of enabling infrastructure and services for EOSC Core, beyond the current Minimum Viable EOSC platform[1].
- Enhanced design of the EOSC Core functionalities, including resource registry and catalogues, data and service management system, publishing workflow, persistent identifiers, AAI federation, order management, configuration management, monitoring, accounting and helpdesk, and taking into account the need of the data-driven scientific use cases and multi-disciplinary research projects.
- Advanced integration and composability of data sources, software tools, research outcomes and other assets within the EOSC execution framework that is enabled and supported by the next-generation of EOSC Core infrastructure.
- Sustainable service incubation and technology testbed infrastructure for developing and testing the next generation of the EOSC Core functionalities integrated and staged into the operational EOSC Core platform in production.
The EOSC-Core and EOSC-Exchange provide the technological backbone of the federated EOSC ecosystem, supported by the EOSC Interoperability Framework and guidelines, allowing users to discover, share, and exploit resources on the EOSC platform. Data-driven user experience is a fundamental aspect for further development of the EOSC Core, allowing user feedback for the continuous improvement of the EOSC platform’s functionality in an open manner.
Proposals are expected to cover one or several of the following activities:
- Improve the EOSC Core execution framework by enhanced composability and interoperability of cross-domain data, services, tools and other research objects and resources: by using ontologies (or a collection of controlled vocabularies), EOSC Core should make it easier for various scientific users communities to understand and exchange data and services across disciplines by facilitating better data interoperability. EOSC Core should develop towards applying Digital Rights Vocabulary to clearly express IPR inflation over digital objects.
- Design and develop components of a comprehensive EOSC Integration Service suite as part of the next-generation EOSC Core that supports seamless integration and composability of applications, tools and services. The EOSC Integration Service should, at the minimum, include a library of predefined adapters, connectors and APIs according to the types of scientific and research data, applications, tools and services on which integrations can be performed. An event/messaging hub, based on the publish-subscribe principle, can be provided at the core of the Integration Service suite for asynchronous data/metadata exchange. A user-friendly visual mapper interface can enable the mapping of connections between applications by dragging source connectors onto target adapters.
- Provide open Application Programming Interface (API) registry, management, development and testing workflow, platform and tools for EOSC Core service users. A data-driven API monitoring tool should oversee security, compliance, and performance. It should send alerts towards the EOSC Core monitoring function as well as support built-in integrations with messaging services. An end-to-end API testing solution for testers and developers should facilitate an approach where test cases are in natural languages that helps the conveyance between scientific users and research tool/service providers.
- Support custom-made front-end portal development environment for various scientific communities, utilizing the EOSC Core portal back-end functions via integration services. A potentially low-code development environment for community portal services should offer seamless integration with the EOSC Core functions and other service integration functionalities with the EOSC Exchange applications and services out-of-the-box. Personalization and AI-driven recommendation software should support the ultimate user experience.
- Facilitate an independent EOSC service incubator and technology development environment that can serve as an open experimentation “testbed” for the EOSC stakeholders proposing the next-generation of tools and services for EOSC Core and Exchange in production.
- Ensure financial sustainability assurance and readiness assessment processes, tools, workflows and services applied for the next-generation of EOSC Core and horizontal services to ensure seamless end-user experience and frictionless DevOps cycles.
The activities need to demonstrate alignment with those of the EOSC Partnership and the EOSC MVE platform[2] operators. Proposals should involve and be driven by one or more representatives of the relevant actors of the field, in particular those directly involved in the EOSC Partnership.
The proposals for the next generation of EOSC Core infrastructure services are expected to leverage the functionalities of the Smart Middleware Platform (SMP) developed through the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) for common data spaces.
In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.
[1] The Minimum Viable EOSC (MVE) platform for production, procured through the HE RI WP 21-22, represents the baseline of EOSC functions. They are necessary for forming the added-value and opportunities that EOSC will continue to provide over time.
[2] Managed Services for the European Open Science Cloud platform - CNECT/LUX/2022/CD/0023
Destination & Scope
The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) is an ecosystem of research data and related services. It encompasses rules of engagement, standards, abstractions, technologies, and services, which will enable and enhance seamless access to and reliable re-use of FAIR[1] research outputs (i.e. data and other digital objects), including those generated or collected by other research infrastructures, and covering the whole research data life cycle (generation, storage, sharing and publishing, discovery, access, processing, management, analysis, re-use, etc.). The EOSC will contribute to the European Strategy for Data, including its thematic common interoperable data spaces, and the provision of secure and FAIR-enabling European cloud services.
EOSC development has been supported through a series of Horizon 2020 projects and an interim EOSC governance structure preparing the next stage of EOSC development for the period after 2020. These projects have contributed to the creation of a pan-European access mechanism; coordination of national activities for EOSC on-boarding; connection of European research infrastructures (e.g. ERIC and other world-class RIs) and existing e-infrastructures; initial development and operationalisation of the FAIR principles and a FAIR-compliant certification scheme for research data; the EOSC portal providing access to a range of services, guidelines and training; and the development and provision of a number of research-enabling value-added services, including distributed data processing and management (both public and commercial). From 2021, the EOSC partnership will help ensuring directionality (common vision and objectives) and additionality (complementary commitments and contributions) of the stakeholders involved.
Building on this progress, the INFRAEOSC destination aims to continue to develop the EOSC in a more cohesive and structured manner so that it becomes a fully operational enabling ecosystem for the whole research data lifecycle. This ecosystem includes FAIR research data commons (e.g. data, services, tools), based on key horizontal core functions, with corresponding e-infrastructures and service layers accessible to researchers across disciplines throughout Europe, leading to a “Web of FAIR Data and Services” for Science. The EOSC ecosystem will contribute a data space for science, research and innovation articulated with the other data spaces described in the European Strategy for Data.
Expected impact
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to one or several of the following impacts:
- Transforming the way researchers as well as the public and private sectors create, share and exploit research outputs (data, publications, protocols, methodologies, software, code, etc.) within and across research disciplines, leading to better quality, validation, more innovation and higher productivity of research;
- Facilitating scientific multi-disciplinary cooperation, leading to discoveries in basic research and solutions in key application areas;
- Seamless access to and management of increasing volumes of research data following FAIR principles (that are open as possible) and other research outputs stimulating the development and uptake of a wide range of new innovative and value-added services from public and commercial providers
- Improving trust in science through increased FAIRness, openness and quality of scientific research in Europe, supported by more meaningful monitoring and better facilitators for reproducibility, validation and re-use of research results, and by improving pathways for the communication of science to the public.
All software developed under this destination should be open source, licensed under a CC0 public domain dedication or under an open source licence as recommended by the Free Software Foundation[2] and the Open Source Initiative[3].
All projects that will be financed under this destination are expected to participate in concertation activities in the framework of the EOSC Partnership.
[1] Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable, https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/
[2] https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list#SoftwareLicenses
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
-
Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
The following additions to the general award criteria apply due to the scope of this topic:
Additional sub-criterion for Impact:
- The extent to which the proposed work incorporates the necessary coordination efforts and resources with other relevant projects and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) governance structure in the context of the EOSC Partnership.
-
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
-
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
Beneficiaries will be subject to the following additional access rights:
- Each beneficiary must grant royalty-free access to its results to the EOSC Association for monitoring and developing policies and strategies for the European Open Science Cloud. Each beneficiary must also provide directly to the EOSC Association the information the beneficiary deems necessary for monitoring and developing policies and strategies for the European Open Science Cloud.
- Each beneficiary must grant royalty-free access to its intellectual property rights which are part of the results and are needed for further developing the European Open Science Cloud to legal entities identified by the granting authority and established in Member States or countries associated to the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. Such access rights are limited to non-commercial use.
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
MGA
RAO decision authorising the use of lump sum funding
Explanatory slides for applicants on the specificities of lump sum funding
Detailed Budget Table (HE LS) for estimation of Lump Sum Funding
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023-2024 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023-2024 – 3. Research Infrastructures
HE Main Work Programme 2023-2024 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).
Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search Services help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
Latest Updates
EVALUATION results
HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01
Published: 06.12.2022
Deadline: 09.03.2023
Available budget: EUR 69,000,000
The results of the evaluation are as follows:
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls):17
Number of inadmissible proposals:1
Number of ineligible proposals:0
Number of above-threshold proposals:14
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: 106.938.440,66 €
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact Research Enquiry Service
Call HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01 has closed on the 09 March 2023.
17 proposals submitted.
The breakdown per topics is the following:
· HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-01: 1 proposal
· HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-02: 3 proposals
· HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-03: 3 proposals
· HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-04: 1 proposal
· HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-05: 1 proposal
· HORIZON-INFRA-2023-EOSC-01-06: 8 proposals
Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2023.
Dear applicant,
We would like to draw your attention to an update of the “Detailed Budget Table” Excel template. A new template has been republished for your kind consideration and use.
An additional paragraph has been added to the instructions tab, explaining how to save the detailed budget table and how to upload it in the submission system.
The following instructions have been added:
“After you completed this Excel workbook, you must also complete the table ‘Budget for the proposal’ in Part A of the proposal, entering the requested EU contribution for each participant. Fill the Part A budget table using the total for each participant from the sheet ‘Lump sum breakdown’ in this Excel workbook.
The format of this Excel workbook is .xlsm because it uses macros to generate sheets and make calculations automatically. Always save it as .xlsm.
However, this format cannot be uploaded to the submission system for security reasons.
Therefore, to submit the completed workbook, save a copy as an .xlsx or .xls document (and not as .xlsm) and upload it to the proposal submission tool at Step 5 of the submission process. Always keep a copy of the original .xlsm file.
To save the workbook as .xlsx document, use the action button in the sheet “Instructions”. Alternatively, click on “File” and then “Save as”; in the “Save as” dialog box, choose “.xlsx” or “.xls” from the “Save as type” dropdown list.”
You can still use the template initially available in the submission system if you wish to, but please be aware of the instructions on how to upload and save the file.