CESSDA and its Service Providers were out in full force at the EOSC Symposium 2025 in Brussels, joining nearly 500 participants for three days of discussion, collaboration, and forward-looking insights into the future of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). With seven Service Providers represented alongside the CESSDA Main Office, the event was a valuable moment to demonstrate CESSDA’s ongoing contribution to strengthening Europe’s FAIR data landscape.

Showcasing Service Provider Expertise

From the very first day, CESSDA Service Providers actively shaped discussions across multiple sessions.
Tietoarkisto (FSD)'s Tuomas J. Alaterä participated in the parallel session on long-term data retention, offering an overview of FSD’s established practices before joining a panel on selection, appraisal, and preservation. He highlighted the essential role of continuous professional development, and how collaboration across the CESSDA network directly strengthens national capacity and practice.

Later, two more SP representatives contributed to the breakout session on Trustworthy Repositories for Data Sovereignty:

• Hervé L’Hours (UK Data Service) presented on Strengthening Data Sovereignty of Repositories.

• Jan Meijer (Sikt) addressed the role of Trustworthy Repositories as a Pillar of Data Sovereignty.

These contributions showcased the breadth of expertise within CESSDA’s distributed network, reaffirming the value of cross-national collaboration in addressing some of EOSC’s central challenges.*
Tuomas J. Alaterä (FSD) giving a brief overview of FSD's practices on long-term data retention.  

A Focus on Global Collaboration

The Symposium’s thematic spotlight on collaboration resonated strongly with CESSDA’s mission. The opening keynote on Day 3, delivered by Shelley Stall (AGU), Collaborating Across Borders, underscored the importance of partnerships not only within Europe but internationally. Her message, calling for global resilience in research data infrastructure and renewed commitment to shared stewardship, aligned closely with CESSDA’s values of widening, outreach, and global engagement.

“Widening and outreach is one of CESSDA’s core values, and we are always on the lookout for new partners and ways to continue our work towards making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable,” noted CESSDA Director Bonnie Dr. Wolff-Boenisch during the Symposium.

From left to right: Franciska de Jong and Darja Darja Fišer (CLARIN ERIC), Friederike Schmidt Tremmel (Trust-IT Services), Romain David (ERINHA aisbl), Jonathan Tedds (ELIXIR) Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch (CESSDA), Anca Hienola (FMI), Nektarios Liaskos (EATRIS ERIC) and Patrick Fuhrmann (DESY) pictured together at the Symposium. 

Engaging in the Future of the EOSC Federation

The Symposium placed significant emphasis on the rapid development of the EOSC Federation. High-level discussions focused on governance, national initiatives, and the next steps toward a trusted and secure ecosystem for FAIR data and services. These sessions reinforced the growing role of EOSC as a central enabler for Europe’s competitiveness, digitalisation, and data sovereignty.

The signing of the EOSC Federation Memorandum of Understanding—accompanied by the now-famous shower of confetti—marked a milestone in the collective effort to build this federated infrastructure. As the ecosystem expands into its next wave of candidate Nodes, discussions highlighted the need for strong coordination, incentives for researcher participation, and continued development of skills and training across Europe.

These themes are closely aligned with CESSDA’s long-standing work on capacity building, repository trustworthiness, and cross-border interoperability.

The Symposium kicked off with a bang on the first day, as confetti rained down and the "EOSC FEDERATION" sign went up.

Strengthening the CESSDA Community

Beyond the sessions, the Symposium offered an important opportunity to bring the CESSDA family together. With the Main Office, Service Providers, and partners alike present, Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch reflected:

“It is always a pleasure to meet up with the CESSDA family and our Service Providers, and to show the strong commitment of CESSDA in helping to build the EOSC Federation and advancing Open Science across Europe.”

The EOSC Symposium 2025 concluded with a strong sense of momentum and shared purpose. As Europe advances toward a more connected and resilient Open Science ecosystem, CESSDA and its Service Providers will remain central contributors, bringing trusted services, deep expertise, and a long-standing commitment to FAIR data.

We look forward to continuing this collaboration throughout the coming year and supporting the next steps in the development of the EOSC Federation.