ICSC – National Research Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing has taken an important step forward in its journey toward recognition as a National Node for the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), an initiative aimed at enhancing European research by facilitating access to data, computing resources, and services for data management and analysis.
The EOSC architecture is currently planned as a Federation of Nodes, a “system of systems,” composed of thematic and national nodes characterized by common technological paradigms that enable the implementation of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles of Open Science.
Implications for ICSC
Recognition as an EOSC node will enable ICSC to:
- Support the national scientific community in adopting FAIR practices;
- Integrate Italian computing and data infrastructures into the broader EOSC ecosystem;
- Promote collaborations between academic institutions, research organizations, and industrial partners for the management and exploitation of scientific data.
ICSC’s application is based on a solid technological background, advanced expertise in cloud computing, and a strategic vision oriented towards open science, strengthening Italy’s role in the European context.
Just two years after its inception, ICSC has established itself as a key player in European and international science, promoting the sharing of data and research infrastructure at the European level and committing to developing innovative services for research data management and supporting Italian researchers in accessing advanced computing resources and data analysis tools.
The EOSC national node
The Italian EOSC Node stems from the ICDI (Italian Computing and Data Infrastructure) initiative, which since 2018 has been coordinating the participation of Italian universities, research bodies, and research infrastructures in the EOSC initiative. Continuity with ICDI is ensured by shared members and related initiatives. The ICSC’s decision to apply to become an EOSC node is part of the same strategy as the National Center—already an expression of computing infrastructures and expertise related to many of the main players in Italian public research—which thus proposes itself as the Italian hub for the collection and coordination of resources and services that will become part of EOSC.
