EOSC Symposium 2026

14 Oct 2026, 12:30 → 16 Oct 2026, 16:15 Europe/Zurich

Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence

The EOSC Symposium 2026 will demonstrate the unique value that EOSC brings to the Union’s research and innovation programme, with the EOSC Federation taking centre stage.

Launched at last year’s Symposium as “the backbone of Europe’s digital research and innovation ecosystem,” the EOSC Federation is rapidly expanding and maturing into a new strategic asset for Europe’s research, innovation, and digital sovereignty agendas. This year’s event will mark its formal transition into operations.

Organised by the EOSC Association with the support of the EOSC Gravity project, the EOSC Symposium 2026 will take place in-person in Florence on 14–16 October at the Palazzo dei Congressi.

This flagship event is the must-attend gathering for everyone driving the future of Europe’s research data ecosystem—from policymakers and funders to researchers, infrastructure leaders, data stewards, and more. Over three days, participants will connect, share insights, and celebrate the latest progress concerning EOSC and the EOSC Federation.

EOSC Symposium 2026

Wednesday 14 October

12:30 → 13:30 Light Welcome Lunch

13:30 → 14:00 Opening Welcome

Speaker: Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research

14:00 → 15:15 Opening Session

14:00 Welcome from the Chair

14:05 Keynote

Speaker: Manuel Heitor, Full Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and main author of Align, Act, Accelerate Report

14:35 Panel Discussion

15:15 → 16:00 Networking Coffee Break

16:00 → 18:30 Plenary Session

Thursday 15 October

09:00 → 09:45 Opening Keynote

Speaker: Rosie Hicks, Chief Executive of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)

09:45 → 11:00 EOSC EU Node: Advancing the federation through interoperability and integration with other EU flagships

The EOSC EU Node (EEN) continues to evolve with new releases for both end-users and contributors designed to simplify day-to-day research workflows and support the development of the EOSC Federation. The latest updates introduce new service features and capabilities for researchers using the platform. They also provide eligible organisations with tools and services for onboarding their offerings to the EOSC EU Node, as well as support the EOSC Node candidates with their enrolment workflow through dedicated node registration services.

The session will highlight the progress of the latest interoperability and integration pilots with EU data spaces and other flagship technology infrastructures. The cross-data space workflows between EEN and the Destination Earth (DestinE) platform - leveraging the SIMPL protocol stack of the EC - will be illustrated. The end-user benefits of federated technology platform interactions between EEN and the EuroHPC Federation Platform (EFP) will be demonstrated and showcased via practical use cases. Together, these improvements strengthen the EOSC EU Node as a gateway for accessing services, managing resources, supporting collaboration, and contributing to a more connected European Open Science ecosystem.

09:45 → 11:00 Data federation, trustworthiness and sovereignty

Chairs:
Klaus Tochtermann (President, EOSC Association and Director, ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics);
Mari Kleemola (Development Manager and Deputy Director, Finnish Social Science Data Archive,Tampere University)

Objectives:
– Showcase practical approaches to data federation and data sovereignty through real-world use cases, identifying remaining barriers
– Identify common challenges, barriers, and requirements for integrating trustworthy repositories into the EOSC Federation

Get to know chairs, speakers and panelists

• Bio - Ana-Claudia Sima.pdf
• Bio - Bob Jones.pdf
• Bio - Klaus Tochtermann.pdf

09:45 Opening by Chairs

09:48 Impulse Statement – The Federation of Nodes and the requirements for repositories to become a Node themselves or onboard their services onto a Node

Speaker: Bob Jones, Special Envoy for the EOSC Federation and Project Coordinator, CERN

09:58 Impulse Statement – Outcomes of a survey among repositories on their “EOSC readiness”

Speaker: Elli Papadopoulou, Research Associate, Athena Research Center (Athena RC)

10:08 Panel Discussion

Chair: Klaus Tochtermann, EOSC Association and ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

Panelists:
Bob Jones, CERN;
Elli Papadopoulou, Athena Research Center;
Mari Kleemola, Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD), Tampere University;
Andy Götz, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF);
Ana-Claudia Sima, Co-Team Lead, Knowledge Representation Unit, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)

10:58 Closing by Chairs

09:45 → 11:00 EOSC Federation Nodes in production: Lessons learnt and next steps

Chairs:
Roberto Sabatino (EOSC Steering Board and Research Engagement Officer, Asiera);
Annika Glauner (Senior Research Strategy and Research Policy Officer, ETH Zürich and Swiss EOSC Node)

Objectives:
– The session answers the following questions: How to build an EOSC node (technical / governance/ legal aspects)? How to engage resource providers and users? How to sustain a node?

Get to know chairs, speakers and panelists

• Bio - Jessica Parland-von Essen.pdf
• Bio - Ludek Matyska.pdf
• Bio - Peter Maccallum.pdf
• Bio - Roberto Sabatino.pdf

09:45 Welcome from the Chairs

09:50 Talks from EOSC nodes part of the build-up phase

10:40 Interactive discussion

11:00 → 11:45 Networking Coffee Break

11:45 → 13:00 Capacity building on using AI tools for data science

Chairs:
Álvaro López García (Head of Advanced Computing and e-Science Group at the Institute of Physics of Cantabria (IFCA), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC));
Kamran Naim (Director, EOSC Association and Head of Open Science, CERN);
Oliver Knödel (Head of Group Data Management and HPC, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR));
Roxanne Wyns (Director, EOSC Association and Innovation Manager, KU Leuven Libraries)

Objectives:
– Identify the key components required for an EOSC-wide AI skills ecosystem, including training, repositories, infrastructure services, and community support mechanisms.
– Explore how EOSC Nodes, INFRAEOSC projects, research infrastructures, and capacity-building initiatives can collaborate to support AI-enabled research and avoid fragmentation of effort across Europe.

11:45 Introduction and framing

11:55 Lightning perspectives (3 interventions)

12:10 Panel discussion

12:40 Audience discussion

12:55 Conclusions and recommendations

11:45 → 13:00 Usage of EOSC Nodes and related benefits

Chairs:
Aneta Pazik-Aybar (Co-Chair, EOSC Steering Board; Head of Open Science, National Science Centre Poland (NCN) and Coordinator, Polish EOSC Node);
Giovanni Guerrieri (Coordinator for Data Infrastructure for Open Science and VREs, CERN);
Jonathan Tedds (Europe Programme Manager for Scientific Computing, ELIXIR)

Objectives:
– Showcase concrete, multi-node use cases where researchers and providers solved, accelerated, or scaled a real scientific or operational problem using EOSC Nodes (including the EU Node) — making visible what already works across the Federation.
– Distill the benefits, recurring blockers, and requirements from real Node usage into actionable feedback for Node operators and the EOSC Federation.

11:45 Welcome

Speaker: Aneta Pazik-Aybar, EOSC Steering Board and National Science Centre Poland

11:50 FORGE: Federated Open Research Data for Genomics

Speaker: Mariarita de Luca, Research Technologist, Area Science Park (AREA)

12:00 METROFOOD: Cross-node Catalogue Federation

Speaker: Karl Presser, Managing Partner, Premotec GmbH (PMT)

12:10 Leveraging Scarce EU Node Resources & Digital sovereignty

Speaker: Laurents Sesink, Program Manager, SURF

12:20 Federated Workflows Using Galaxy

12:30 Moderated Discussion and Q&A

Chair: Jonathan Tedds, ELIXIR

Panelists:
Mariarita de Luca, Area Science Park;
Karl Presser, Premotec GmbH;
Laurents Sesink, SURF

12:55 Closing

Speaker: Giovanni Guerrieri, CERN

11:45 → 13:00 EOSC Federation IF, architecture and data-related policies

Chairs:
Matteo Zanaroli (Ethics and Data Governance Manager, Italian National Research Centre on High-Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing (ICSC) and Coordinator, Italian EOSC Node);
Peter MacCallum (Chief Technical Officer, ELIXIR and Coordinator, Life Sciences Connect EOSC Node)

Objectives:
– This session will present the current state of the art of the EOSC Interoperability Framework (IF) and its overall architecture, offering a clear and practical overview of how EOSC nodes are designed and operated today.
– Examination of the key technical, governance, and legal components required to build robust and compliant nodes in practice, while also reflecting on the gaps and needs that should be addressed in the future development of the EOSC Federation. 
– A specific focus will be on enabling the sharing of high-quality research data and metadata, including the adoption of FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), provenance information, and other practices that support trust, discoverability, interoperability, and reuse across the EOSC ecosystem.
– Exploration of strategies to effectively engage both service/resource providers and user communities, while highlighting the differences that may arise across various types of nodes and levels of implementation.
– The session will also discuss sustainability and “business model” approaches to support the long-term impact, continuous evolution, and deeper integration of EOSC nodes within the EOSC Federation ecosystem.

Get to know chairs, speakers and panelists Bio - Matteo Zanaroli.docx.pdf

11:45 Welcome and introduction

Speaker: Pantelis Tziveloglou, Team Leader, Unit for Open Science and Research Infrastructures, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), European Commission

11:55 Panel discussion

Panelists:
Michal Med, Interoperability Analyst, Czech Education and Scientific NETwork (CESNET), EOSC United;
Roksana Wilk, Technical Operation and Architecture Manager, Polish EOSC Node;
Christelle Pierkot, Research Engineer and Deputy Node Coordinator, DataTerra EOSC Node;
Matteo Zanaroli, Coordinator, Italian EOSC Node

12:35 Interactive discussion

12:55 Closing

Speaker: Peter MacCallum, ELIXIR and Life Sciences Connect EOSC Node

13:00 → 14:30 Networking Lunch

14:30 → 15:45 EOSC and ERICs/ESFRIs

Chairs:
Antje Keppler (Director, EOSC Association and Section Director, Euro-BioImaging ERIC);
Jan Hrušák (EOSC Steering Board and Senior Research Fellow, Heyrovský Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences)

Objectives:
– Demonstrate how ERICs, ESFRIs, thematic EOSC Nodes, and emerging RI communities can contribute concrete, trusted, and interoperable services, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to the EOSC Federation.

– Identify practical gaps and future opportunities for EOSC regarding Node onboarding, user access, sensitive data, metadata, cross-node workflows, sustainability, and RI governance.

14:30 Welcome and framing

Speaker: Antje Keppler, EOSC Association and Euro-BioImaging ERIC

14:35 Flash inputs from 1st wave Nodes, RIs and emerging communities

15:00 Moderated panel discussion with all speakers and audience interaction

Panelists:
Vojtěch Bystrý, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University;
Özlem Yalçın Seyhan, Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, Koç University School of Medicine;
Fermín Serrano, Fundación Ibercivis

15:40 Wrap up and take-home messages by Chairs

14:30 → 15:45 Automating data FAIRification

Chairs:
Erik Schultes (Consultant, GO FAIR Foundation);
Giorgio Rossi (EOSC Steering Board and Professor,Università degli Studi di Milano)

Objectives:
– Provide an overview of the state of the art in the production of FAIR datasets (e.g. by research infrastructures) by either FAIR-by-design technologies or by ex-post FAIRification by algorithms and compute.
– Provide the outlook on how the necessary level of productivity (in the limit of all new data 100% FAIR) can be reached by the two methods, and/or their combination, from the perspectives of technology, economy, transferability of solutions.

14:30 Introduction by Chairs

14:35 FAIR-by-design approach, technology and production. Implications in laboratory setup upgrades

Speaker: Stefano Cozzini, Director, AREA Science Park (AREA)

14:50 FAIRification ex-post acquisition, reliable algorithms and curation. Implications in HPC needs

Speaker: Sylvia Le Dévédec, Assistant Professor, Universiteit Leiden

15:05 Use case: ENVRI EOSC Node

Speaker: Anca Hienola, Chief of Open Science, Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI)

15:10 Use case: CERN Zenodo

Speaker: Alex Loannidis, Zenodo Service Manager, CERN

15:15 Use case: Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure (CLARIN)

15:20 Panel discussion

Panelists:
Stefano Cozzini, AREA Science Park;
Sylvia Le Dévédec, Universiteit Leiden;
Anca Hienola, Finnish Meteorological Institute;
Alex Loannidis, CERN

15:40 Wrap-up and final remarks by Chairs

14:30 → 15:45 EOSC Federation federating capabilities

Chair:
Mario Reale (Technical Coordinator, EOSC Federation)

Objectives:
– Explain to the audience the current status of the mandatory federating capabilities and how they are expected to evolve during 2026-2027.
– The audience is expected to be contributors (nodes & resources) to the EOSC Federation.

Get to know chairs, speakers and panelists Bio - Paolo Manghi.docx.pdf

14:30 Introduction

Speaker: Aastha Mathur, Head of Image Data Services, Euro-BioImaging ERIC and Co-Chair, EOSC Node Operations Committee

14:40 Presentations

15:30 Q&A

15:45 → 16:30 Networking Coffee Break

16:30 → 17:45 EOSC and Data Spaces

Chairs:
Marialuisa Lavitrano (Vice-President, EOSC Association and Full Professor, Milano-Bicocca University);
Enrique Bernal-Delgado (Director, EOSC Association and Senior Scientist, Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences (IACS))

Objectives:
– Explore synergies between EOSC and European Data Spaces initiatives.
– Examine legal and regulatory considerations, with a focus on the European Health Data Space.
– Highlight practical experiences from sectoral data spaces, including health and cultural heritage.
– Assess the role of infrastructures such as SIMPL in supporting data space implementation. Identify opportunities for collaboration between research communities, policymakers, and data space stakeholders.

16:30 Welcome by the Chairs

16:40 Presentations

17:20 Panel discussion and audience interaction

Chairs:
Enrique Bernal-Delgado, Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences and EOSC Association Board;
Marialuisa Lavitrano, Milano-Bicocca University and EOSC Association Board

Panelists:
Juan González-García, Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences;
Valeria Ardizzone, EGI Foundation;
Irene Schluender,Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research e.V.;
Vania Virgili, European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science

17:40 Wrap-up and closing remarks by the Chairs

16:30 → 17:45 EOSC Federation User Forum: The voice of the research community

Chairs:
Andy Götz (Manager, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF));
Sally Chambers (Director, Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities (DARIAH EU))

The true value of the EOSC Federation is in its uptake and use of the data, tools, services and workflows offered by the Nodes by a wider range of research communities. The EOSC Federation User Forum is intended to provide "a shared space where the EOSC Federation research community learns, asks, and grows together". This includes capturing user feedback on service quality, usability and FAIR data access to inform EOSC Federation development and priorities. It is a place for the voice of the research community to be heard.

The objectives of this session are:
– To raise awareness of the EOSC Federation User Forum as a shared space where the EOSC Federation research community learns, asks, and grows together as a community
– To understand what researchers need from the forum for it to serve as a platform to answer users’ questions, share solutions and experiences and help researchers find resources and FAIR data available in the Federation.

16:30 Welcome and Introduction

Speaker: Andy Götz, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

16:35 Introducing the EOSC Federation User Forum

16:45 Experience and lessons learned building up the Virtual Imaging Platform

Speaker: Sorina Camarasu Pop, Research Engineer, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

17:00 Voice of the Research Community

Chair: Sally Chambers, Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities

17:30 Interactive session with audience

16:30 → 17:45 Business models for the EOSC Federation

Chairs:
Javier Lopez Albacete (Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), European Commission);
Dale Robertson (EOSC Liaison Manager and Strategy and Innovation Team Lead, EGI Foundation);
Jan Meijer (Senior International Strategy Advisor, Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (Sikt))

Objectives:
– Explore mechanisms for the fair and efficient sharing of resources, services, and capabilities across independent organisations within distributed environments.
– Discuss the minimal operational, legal, technical, and organisational conditions required to enable scalable and sustainable resource sharing within the EOSC Federation

16:30 Introduction by the Chairs

16:35 Examples of business models in distributed environments

17:05 Panel Discussion

Panelists:
Ornela De Giacomo, Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium;
Ivan Maric, University of Zagreb University Computing Centre;
Ivar Jaanmat, SURF

17:40 Closing by the Chairs

19:30 → 00:00 Networking Dinner

Friday 16 October

09:30 → 10:00 Opening Keynote

Speaker: Mercè Crosas, Director of Computational Social Science and Humanities (CSSH) Lab at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)

10:00 → 10:45 Plenary Session

10:45 → 11:30 Networking Coffee Break

11:30 → 13:15 Closing Plenary

13:15 → 14:45 Networking Lunch