by Alane Brunschweiger, Maja Dolinar and Fay Meimaraki (OpenAIRE AMKE)
One year after its launch, the EOSC EU Node is emerging as a key European gateway for Open Science, enabling researchers to access, share, and collaborate across borders.
The European research landscape is undergoing a structural transformation. Open Science is no longer a policy aspiration, but an operational requirement: research outputs must be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) across institutional and national boundaries. Delivering this transformation requires more than just advocacy, it demands shared digital infrastructure that works in practice. The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) EU Node represents a major milestone in this effort.
Launched officially at the EOSC Symposium in Berlin in October 2024, the EOSC EU Node became the first operational node of the EOSC Federation. It provides an EU-level access point where researchers can discover and use scientific research outputs, computing resources, and collaborative environments in one place. Developed and operated by the European Commission through a procurement framework involving multiple European service providers, the EOSC EU Node is designed as both a functional research environment and a reference model for how a federated European research infrastructure can operate.
For the first time, researchers across Europe can access a unified space where scientific research outputs, computing services and collaborative workspaces can be discovered and used through a single access point. Tens of millions of research outputs are discoverable in one place, alongside interactive services such as virtual machines, data storage, file synchronisation, notebook environments and collaborative workspaces, all available free at the point of use (subject to the virtual credits mechanism).
Since its launch, the EOSC EU Node has continued to evolve in response to feedback from its growing user community. This user-driven approach has helped shape the platform into a more intuitive and practical environment aligned with real research needs.
One of the most visible results of this evolution is the redesign of the User Space and overall user experience. A unified dashboard now provides users with a consolidated overview of projects, storage allocation, computing sessions, and shared workspaces. This reduces onboarding friction and allows research teams to move more quickly from discovery to active collaboration.
Alongside these usability improvements, the EOSC EU Node has updated its User Access Policy to support a broader range of research workflows. Credit allocations, virtual units you can use to access services on the EOSC EU Node, have nearly doubled for all user categories. This allows individual contributors and research teams to plan more ambitious work, run longer computing tasks, and experiment with larger datasets without encountering resource limits too early.
Another important development has been the introduction of credit grants for EU-funded projects. These grants of up to 40,000 credits provide research groups with enhanced access to the services of the EOSC EU Node, making it easier to integrate Open Science tools and practices from the start of a project rather than later in its lifecycle.
Users are supported through extensive documentation and a dedicated learning platform that brings together structured courses, practical tutorials, and optional learning pathways tailored to different user needs and roles. In addition, targeted guidance resources provide step-by-step support on how to integrate services into everyday research workflows. Together, these materials ensure that researchers can confidently adopt and apply the tools of the platform, regardless of their level of technical expertise.
This user-driven and community-responsive approach reflects a broader ambition: to build a shared infrastructure that evolves alongside its community. Rather than imposing fixed technological solutions, the EOSC EU Node continues to adapt based on how researchers work, ensuring that services remain relevant and accessible across disciplines.
Beyond its direct benefits to researchers, the EOSC EU Node plays an important systemic role within the wider EOSC Federation. As the first operational European node, it serves as a reference model for future national and thematic nodes that will gradually join the Federation. Together, these interconnected nodes will form a distributed ecosystem built on shared standards and principles, enabling seamless access to research resources across Europe.
Looking ahead, future developments will further strengthen the position of the EOSC EU Node within the European research landscape. These include expanded integration of trusted third-party services and resources, continued enhancement of user experience, and stronger engagement with research communities across Member States. The aim is to ensure that the EOSC EU Node remains a flexible and reliable environment that supports new ways of working with data, software, and collaborative platforms. As additional national and thematic nodes join the EOSC Federation, coordination and governance will become increasingly important. The EOSC EU Node is expected to continue playing a stabilising role, demonstrating operational practices, testing interoperability mechanisms, and supporting adoption at scale.
Since October 2024, the EOSC EU Node has moved from an initial concept to a functioning infrastructure supporting researchers across Europe. By lowering practical barriers to accessing and sharing research outputs, it contributes to making Open Science not only a principle but a daily working reality. As the EOSC Federation continues to grow, the EOSC EU Node is positioned to play a key role in supporting collaboration, discovery, and innovation across the European research landscape.
OpenAIRE AMKE is the member of the consortium contracted for the EOSC EU Node services of the European Commission. This article reflects the views only of the authors and not of the European Commission.
Link:
To explore the EOSC EU Node and its services, visit: https://www.open-science-cloud.ec.europa.eu
Please contact:
Fay Meimaraki, OpenAIRE AMKE
