Lecce, Italy – 3 October 2024
Leading European e-Infrastructure organisations, including EGI, EUDAT, GÉANT, OpenAIRE, and PRACE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the EGI 2024 conference, establishing the European e-Infrastructures Assembly. This collaboration aims to bolster the position and promote the services of e-Infrastructures, empowering researchers across Europe to drive innovation and advance scientific discovery.
You can read the full text of the MoU here, or download it directly here.
The European e-Infrastructures provide a critical foundation for research across Europe, offering advanced services, data centres, repositories, connectivity, computing resources, and expert teams. This collaborative effort leverages the expertise of these leading organisations, creating a united front for advocating and promoting the benefits of e-Infrastructures to the research community.
Key Objectives of the Assembly
The Assembly focuses on several key objectives:
- Joint Advocacy: Increasing awareness and visibility of e-Infrastructures with policymakers, funding bodies, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Collaboration and Coordination: Aligning activities in areas of common interest, including seeking joint funding opportunities and avoiding duplication of efforts.
- Innovation and Open Science: Collaborating in R&D to support service innovation and promote Open Science principles and practices.
- Community Engagement: Enhancing connections with research communities and fostering dialogue with them to understand their needs better.
- Policy Influence: Actively contributing to shaping discussions on the digitisation of European research and education.
Looking Forward
The Assembly plans to hold regular meetings, develop joint communication materials, and organise events to achieve its goals.
“We are thrilled to officially launch this collaborative partnership at the EGI Conference,” said Tiziana Ferrari, Director of the EGI Foundation. “By working together, we can create a more vibrant and innovative ecosystem that supports the next generation of researchers.”
“GÉANT is proud to join forces with leading European e-Infrastructures in this collaboration. By defining common strategies, combining our expertise and working together towards common goals, we aim to provide the research community with a more comprehensive and integrated ecosystem of services. This will enable researchers to collaborate more effectively and foster advancements in cutting-edge research and innovation,” said Erik Huizer, GÉANT CEO.
“In the race that is HPC, everyone is dedicated to and focussed on upgrades, development, and innovation, which is exactly the drive that Europe needs to stay ahead. Yet we should not forget the foundations that were laid in the past decades: the legacy of long-standing eInfrastructures and their contribution to the evolving HPC landscape. All this is made possible through the strong collaboration between those developing the infrastructure and those using it. This MoU is an excellent first step to consolidate and valorise that legacy,” said Serge Bogaerts, Managing Director of PRACE aisbl.
“At OpenAIRE, we are passionate about breaking down barriers, and this partnership presents an incredible opportunity for Europe’s leading e-Infrastructures to unite and align their efforts. Together we ensure that every researcher has the tools, data, network and support they need to push the frontiers of innovation and cultivate a more interconnected scientific community,” said Natalia Manola, OpenAIRE CEO.
“Signing this MoU marks a reinforced collaboration between the major European e-Infrastructures. EUDAT is delighted to be an active contributor to this and will invest resources to converge towards a unified strategy and service offer. This convergence will streamline the access to services to accelerate research and innovation and will enable the e-Infrastructures to communicate with a united voice with the various stakeholders involved in the creation of EOSC,” said Yann Le Franc, EUDAT Head of the Secretariat.
