From 21 to 24 September 2026, the ENVRI Community and ENVRI-Hub NEXT partners gathered in Ghent, Belgium, for EGI2026. Throughout the week, project partners showcased how the live ENVRI-Hub simplifies cross-domain environmental research by providing improved access to observation data across atmospheric, marine, terrestrial, and biodiversity domains.
Internal Consortium All-Hands Meeting
Before the public conference opened, the ENVRI-Hub NEXT consortium met on 21–22 September for a dedicated in-person project meeting. Beneficiaries and associated partners gathered to review cross-cutting technical developments, examine live system demonstrations, and assess key performance indicators. With the project concluding in January 2027, the meeting allowed partners to align on final action plans for system deployment and sustainability in preparation for the project’s final review.
Our Hosted Session: Aligning Environmental Data
On Wednesday, 23 September, ENVRI-Hub NEXT hosted its dedicated session, “Aligning and exploiting environmental data to overcome global challenges.” Convened by Federico Drago and Marta Gutierrez David (EGI Foundation), the session explored how the ENVRI-Hub acts as an operational blueprint for thematic e-infrastructure integration.
The session featured technical presentations detailing core platform capabilities:
- The ENVRI-Hub as a Collaborative Blueprint – Marta Gutierrez David (EGI Foundation) & Ulrich Bundke (FZJ / IAGOS)
- The EOSC ENVRI Node – Anca Hienola (Finnish Meteorological Institute – FMI)
- Enabling Access to Harmonised ECV Datasets – Tjerk Krijger (MARIS B.V. / SeaDataNet)
The presentations were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Marta Gutierrez David, featuring Anabela Oliveira (LNEC / OPENCoastS), Delphine Dobler (Euro-Argo ERIC), Gabriel Pelouze (LifeWatch ERIC), and Ulrich Bundke (FZJ / IAGOS). The panellists role-played the different steps in the research data value chain, and exchanged perspectives on balancing high-level Essential Variable abstraction with domain-specific user needs, achieving deep operational interoperability within Virtual Research Environments (VREs), and preparing research infrastructures for AI-driven data analysis.
Demonstrations, Posters, and EOSC Integration
ENVRI-Hub NEXT representatives contributed to the broader EGI2026 program through multiple interactive sessions and exhibition activities:
- Digital Poster: Dario De Nart (CREA / AnaEE ERIC) presented “The ENVRI-Hub: A Blueprint for Thematic E-Infrastructure Integration and Cross-Domain Research Support,” highlighting how the platform’s Catalogue of Services and AI-powered Knowledge Base reduce data friction.
- EOSC Evolution Forum: Anca Hienola participated in the panel “Evolution of EOSC,” presenting the thematic setup and progress of the ENVRI Node.
- Platform Demos & Talks: Alessandro Turco (EPOS ERIC) showcased the EPOS open-source platform Backoffice application, while Tjerk Krijger delivered a talk on direct and harmonised access to marine in-situ observation data from SeaDataNet during the Open Science in Action track.
- Exhibition Booth: Project factsheets and promotional materials were featured at the central booth, welcoming delegates to test the live platform.
Getting Ready for the EOSC Symposium in Florence
With EGI2026 successfully wrapped up, the ENVRI-Hub NEXT team is turning its focus to the EOSC Symposium in Florence, Italy. The project will actively support the ENVRI Node booth in the exhibition hall, showcasing its live tools, user-group onboarding pathways, and federated analytical capabilities to the broader EOSC community.
- Try the ENVRI-Hub
- Join the User Group: Sign up to receive an invitation to our next online meeting on 10 November 2026 via the ENVRI-Hub User Group page.