A n d r e a s i s t h e E N V R I - F A I R c o o r d i n a t o r o v e r s e e i n g t h e m a n a g e m e n t a n d s e t t i n g t h es t r a t e g i c d i r e c t i o n o f t h e p r o j e c t . A n d r e a s a l s o c o o r d i n a t e s I A G O S , t h e I n - S e r v i c e

A i r c r a f t f o r a G l o b a l O b s e r v i n g S y s t e m .

The Clusters – it sounds like the name of a band,rocking the EOSC stages … In the European Open Science Cloud ecosystem, theclusters of the ESFRI Research Infrastructures haveevolved into key players when it comes to the provisionof data and services to their research communities andintegrating this to the use of the emerging EOSCinfrastructure. The five ESFRI research infrastructurescluster projects span a broad range of scientific fields:life sciences, environmental sciences, social sciencesand humanities, photon and neutron sciences, andastronomy and particle physics.

E N V R I - F A I R N E W S L E T T E RJ A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0

provides a personal perspective on thecooperation of ENVRI community and other

research infrastructure clusters

A N D R E A SP E T Z O L D

kept in tune without a conductor. The clusters have developed concerted EOSC valueproposition papers which deliver our opinions on whatthe research infrastructure clusters expect from theEOSC and what will be the added values of EOSC to ourcommunities. Surprisingly, the expectations, needs andoffers from the clusters point of view are very similar.And we share a common view: For us European OpenScience Cloud means E-Infrastructure consolidationplus Open science plus Scientific Communities’content and users (see the figure below). This unexpected agreement encourages us to intensifyour efforts for a consolidated appearance on the EOSCstages. Our next steps will be to invite each other to ourcluster project meetings and build stronger bondsbetween us. We will share our efforts towardsharmonized standards and policies. And finally, we seekfor show cases of cross-cluster services as high-leveloutcomes of the cluster projects. Our journey has started and expectations are flyinghigh. Let’s see where we hit the charts.

Despite these highly diverse offerings, thecluster coordinators have developed acooperative, open-minded and purposefulcollaboration, serving our joint goal ofgetting the best for all of us out of theEOSC. Indeed, it is like starting a band:Each of us might lead a cluster of scientificexcellence and with ambitious visions, butstaying on our own we are lost, and onlytogether we have a strong voice heard inthe European arena. Our rehearsal roomis the EOSC-hub Strategy Board where wefirst met and which offers the platform forintense and open discussions – amongourselves and with e-infrastructures. Ourtalents are well balanced and we swaproles as required. To date we have