e-IRG Roadmap to Help Shape European Open Science Cloud

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Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation

This week, the European Commission presented a vision for the European Science Cloud that will bring together current and future data infrastructures. The European Open Science Cloud will be created for European researchers and their global scientific collaborators by integrating and consolidating e-infrastructure platforms, federating existing scientific clouds and research infrastructures, and supporting the development of cloud-based services.

The e-IRG very much welcomes the European Commission’s initiative for a European Open Science Cloud,” said Sverker Holmgren, e-IRG Chair. “The build-up of the European Open Science Cloud is an important challenge and the e-IRG is already contributing to its foundation by promoting the development of the “e-Infrastructure Commons”: a single European e-Infrastructure for researchers. The European Open Science Cloud is also a recognition of the work that e-IRG and many others have done in the e-Infrastructures area.”

The e-Infrastructure Reflection Group (e-IRG) is paving the way towards a general purpose European e-Infrastructure already since its inception and many important building blocks are already in place. The e-IRG embraces this European Open Science Cloud initiative and sees it as an encouragement to continue its work to facilitate integration in the area of European e-Infrastructures and connected services between the member states, at the European level, and internationally.

The e-IRG is a strategic body consisting of representatives of the member states of the European Union to facilitate integration in the area of European e-Infrastructures and connected services, within and between member states, at the European level and globally. The mission of e-IRG is to support both coherent, innovative and strategic European e- Infrastructure policymaking and the development of convergent and sustainable e- Infrastructure services.

To be published this Summer, the e-IRG Roadmap 2016 will give guidance and recommendations for policy and technical discussions on the main European Open Science Cloud topics. At the e-IRG meeting in Amsterdam March 11, the e-IRG national delegates decided to elaborate its concept of the e-Infrastructure Commons in the new Roadmap and explain in more detail how this provides a fundament for developing the European Open Science Cloud, consistent with established European initiatives and national priorities.

The topics discussed and the recommendations given in our 2016 Roadmap, match very well with the Open Science Cloud vision,” said Erik Fledderus, editor of the e-IRG 2016 Roadmap. “We are convinced the Roadmap, produced by a large group of e-IRG members and external experts, will contribute significantly to the progress towards the realisation of the Open Science Cloud.”

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