New Candidate EOSC Nodes strengthen the EOSC Federation and support the European Research Area

The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) continues to expand its operational capacity with the addition of new Candidate EOSC Nodes, marking a significant step forward in the development of a federated, interoperable system of research data and services across Europe. The expansion of the EOSC Federation reinforces its strategic role within the European Research Area as an enabler of open science, cross-border collaboration, and the wider sharing, access and reuse of research outputs.

Following an open call for organisations interested to set up an EOSC Node, 14 applications from national, thematic and e-infrastructure communities have been received, which were reviewed by independent experts. These were discussed at the 21 April meeting of the EOSC Tripartite Governance that approved all applicants as Candidate EOSC Nodes. The new candidate nodes are adding to the 14 EOSC Nodes already contributing to the build-up phase of the EOSC Federation.

The enrolment of the new Candidate EOSC Nodes will expand the geographic and thematic coverage of the EOSC Federation and enrich the range of available services. For researchers and innovators, this means broader access to trusted data, tools and services, enabling them to work more efficiently across borders and disciplines.

Strategic importance of the EOSC Federation

The EOSC Federation lies at the heart of EU's ambition to create a seamless and trusted environment for sharing and reusing research data and digital resources across countries and scientific disciplines, It also aims to achieve increased efficiencies for research infrastructures and data repositories in Europe, maximising the value of publicly funded research.

Next steps for the EOSC Nodes

The new Candidate EOSC Nodes are invited to take part in the organisational structure to the EOSC Federation and start the implementation of the technical integration requirements . As integration progresses, users can expect a progressively richer and more coherent portfolio of services accessible through the EOSC Federation. In the future, additional enrolment waves will be planned as the EOSC Federation continues to evolve and broaden its coverage.

How the EOSC Node enrolment process works

The enrolment of this second wave of Candidate EOSC Nodes followed a structured process established by the EOSC Tripartite Governance and carried out with the support of the Horizon Europe project 'EOSC Gravity'. The open call was published in November 2025, including the necessary criteria that interested organisations were required to fulfil, and closed in February 2026.

Applicants were asked to submit a project charter, demonstrating their technical maturity, organisational capacity and commitment to operate an EOSC Node in line with the requirements defined in the EOSC Federation Handbook.

Applications were technically assessed by independent experts and the results were provided to the EOSC Tripartite Governance to support their decision for inviting the applicants to join the EOSC Federation as Candidate EOSC Nodes.

The approach emphasises accommodating applicants through their gradual integration in the EOSC Federation, ensuring that the EOSC Federation grows in a coordinated, sustainable and inclusive manner, while maintaining high standards of interoperability and quality for the federated data and services.

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