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The Working Groups Insider provides a digest of all the latest activities of the EOSC Executive Working Groups. Their work and outputs are a vital part of the implementation of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). In this June 2020 edition, you can also find out about the latest activities and works done in each of the Working Groups. Here is a summary of the content:

  • The Architecture Working Group is currently working on the Technical Aspects of the Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) Document. Status, gaps and priorities are being identified within several topics like Identifier, Metadata & Anthologies, Authentication and Authorization infrastructure.
  • The FAIR Working Group is currently working on the Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) Document, emphasising gaps and priorities in several topics like FAIR metrics, interoperability standards, metadata and ontologies. The draft document on the EOSC Interoperability Framework has been released. The second draft of Persistent Identifier (PID) policy for the EOSC was released at the beginning of May. The WG will organise a webinar on “How to move from FAIR principles to FAIR practice?” and how to learn the current practices and recommendations for the future.
  • The Landscape Working Group Validation Workshop gathered over 150 stakeholders. The virtual and fruitful discussions broadly validated the preliminary findings collected in the first interim version of the Landscape Report. The Landscape Report also received specific attention during the EOSC Consultation Day thanks to a session chaired by Jan Hrusak (Chair of WG Landscape) and John Womersley (Co-Chair of WG Landscape). The WG will work on the implementation of the feedback gathered during the workshop and a new analytical part of the report will be processed. The WG is planning a 2nd Validation Workshop in Autumn 2020 to validate the whole Landscape Analysis.
  • The Rules of Participation (RoP) Working Group has been working extensively on the revision of feedback received on v0.2 of the Draft EOSC Rules of Participations. The next version of the document – set to be released in June – is being integrated inthe SRIA, while the final version is set to be released this autumn. The WG plans to widen its membership with new members from the EOSC projects. A study on legal aspects of the EOSC RoP is foreseen to be requested via an open call this summer
  • The members of the Skills & Training Working Group have for the past months been working in three Task Forces: (1) the Minimal EOSC Skill Set, (2) the Organisation Models for Competence Centres and (3) the National Digital Skills Strategies. A fourth Task Force on Specifications for Training Catalogues kicked off in May. The Group is currently working on the Rules of Participation for EOSC training service providers. During May the WG delivered a draft of the SRIA highlighting the gaps, the types of skills needed and the key priority areas in terms of skills development, training and education.
  • The Sustainability Working Group is currently working on the final version of the “Solutions for a Sustainable EOSC” report. Feedback on the earlier version was received from the EOSC Executive Board, Governing Board, EOSC Working Groups and EOSC-related H2020 projects. The WG has established a dedicated task force  that has conducted and published a thorough analysis of the feedback received and is currently working to integrate the results into the current version. The final document is expected in October 2020. The “Legal Entity” Task Force of the WG is working towards the establishment of the EOSC legal entity before the end of this year, and has developed a second draft of the statutes for the future EOSC Association, an AISBL under Belgian law. “Candidate” initial members has been nominated by the EOSC Governance Board and Executive Board.

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